YuGiOh! Delta: Skyler's Story
by Rebster6
Summary: In this story, the revelations begin. Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

The walls shook ever so slightly as Skyler slammed open his door and marched into his apartment. The less-than-inviting room looked like a bomb had gone off in it, and the smell of dampness hung in the air, but right now, Skyler couldn't care less. It may be a dump, but it was the only place he had – somewhere he could find a modicum of peace after a difficult hunt.

He removed his dueling equipment and tossed it carelessly onto the small table at the edge of the room, paying no heed as the Extra Deck box swung open, spilling his Number cards across the table. The man slumped into a chair by the window, snatched up the nearest bottle, and began chugging the contents down at an alarming rate. When the bottle was half empty, he slammed it down on the table beside him and sank back in his chair, groaning and massaging the aching join of his robotic arm.

There was good reason for his grief. He'd just managed to pry a new Number away from a random holder, adding to his vastly diminished collection. He no longer cared about how strong his Numbers were – instead, he was solely focussed on rebuilding his collection as fast as possible. And he was doing well. He hadn't run into Lithon or the Deltas recently, which had given him time to do some free hunting, which had bolstered his reserves of Numbers nicely. All in all, he should have been pretty cheerful.

And yet...

He couldn't escape it. It had started not long after his chaotic duel against two of the Deltas, where the girl had managed to evolve her Number into a Chaos Number... followed swiftly by the boy who 'lead' them. According to the girl, her Number had undergone this evolution because he had hurt her friends. This had caused the infectious desire for revenge to fester inside her, until it broke its boundaries completely in a wave of pure power that had left him in a crumpled heap on the floor. Her words from that day still haunted him:

_"As long as you continued to go around hurting people and indiscriminately tearing their lives apart, someone like me was always going to be coming for you. The more people you hurt, the more people you created who would want revenge on you. And eventually, you ended up making someone so angry, and hurt them and their friends so badly, that revenge was all they could think about__…_"

_"Don't you understand what you're doing, Skyler? You were hurt by the Professor, I get that. But looking what you're doing now – all these people, all your victims, you're inflicting the same fate on them as was inflicted on you. Why can't you understand? Keeping up this cycle won't undo what the Professor did to you. It'll only make things worse and worse__…_"

_"You're slowly bringing about the destruction of the world, and you don't even realise it__…_"

He clamped his hands over his ears, desperately trying to shut out the voices of the past.

Anyway, ever since then, something had changed inside him. It was no longer easy to extract Numbers from holders. Now, every time he knelt down beside them and placed his cold metal fingers against their hearts, all he could see was her. Her, raging at him for destroying her friends' lives. Her, desperately fighting to survive his Numbers' onslaught in any way she could. Her, rising up and doing the unthinkable; transcending the state of regular Numbers to gain the power she needed to win. Her, with her endless anger and sorrow echoing in his mind, mingling with the fresh screams of each new victim, the amalgamation stirring up an intense wave of grief inside him again and again, making it almost impossible to concentrate on the extraction.

Then there was the Numbers themselves. He had six of the accursed things now, counting his original, which was a pathetic amount compared to the Deltas. Those kids had a huge quantity of Numbers, including several of his own most powerful ones like Alpha Centauri and Sonicboom Dragon. They also possessed at least four Chaos Numbers. It made his skin crawl to think about, but he knew that if he was to come against the Deltas in the near future, he'd be swept aside in an instant. And what chance did he have against the Professor if he couldn't even defeat that cretin's protégés?

He was losing the war. It was as simple as that.

Today was particularly grievous. It was the anniversary. Exactly one year ago today, Skyler's life had been ripped apart by that madman, Usur. That day had seen the destruction of everything Skyler cared about, leaving him a hollowed-out husk of a man, with only his sorrow and his desire for revenge keeping him going over the months.

It was the most painful, humiliating day of his entire life, and try as he had to fix things, nothing had worked. Pleading had been pointless. Searching had proved fruitless. And fighting had only brought him more pain and suffering. This cacophony of agonising thoughts whirled around in his head, blocking out all sense of reason and remorse, and reducing him to little more than an animal – a slave to the primal desire to inflict as much pain to everyone else as he could, no matter his own suffering.

And thus the broken man buried his head in his hands and sobbed, grieving for his losses, and cursing the Professor with every fibre of his being.

He was being watched.

_'You know nothing of pain yet,' _the quiet watcher thought to herself sadly. _'I'm sorry, Skyler. I'm so so sorry. But tomorrow is the day you die again…'_

* * *

**Fun Fact #1: Alright, we've stalled for long enough. It's about time we finally delve into the mysterious world of Skyler backstory. Enjoy.**

**Fun Fact #2: Since Professor Usur plays such a hefty part in Skyler's backstory, expect to see plenty of revelations regarding him too. Keane, Esta, and the Stranger will also be making their respective appearances. Basically, we have the whole gang here except Lithon, who's still off scheming with the Barians.**

**Fun Fact #3: Honestly, this Chapter could have been a lot longer if we'd just combined it with the start of the next Chapter. Unfortunately, it just didn't feel right. This is a very dark scene already, and we found that simply proceeding straight into the next Chapter rather ruins the impact of this one. So for now, you'll have to put up with a rather short prelude I'm afraid.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

To James, everything about what they were doing felt weird.

The five members of Team Delta were standing outside a sandwich shop, eating their lunch and idly chatting to each other while they waited for the clock to strike three. That alone wasn't weird. What James found uncomfortable was the fact that their old school was just around the corner. They had dropped out of that very school almost a year ago to enter into the Professor's employment, and although it had been difficult at the time, none of them regretted the decision one bit.

James' main problem was that, since they weren't registered students anymore, they couldn't just walk into the school anymore, but rather had to wait outside before they could meet with the kids they'd come to see. They had chosen the sandwich shop as the meeting spot because it was out of sight of the school gates, which would help them avoid awkward conversations with old teachers – and to James, that felt deceptive.

Something else that was worrying him were the students themselves. Both him and Katie had dropped out of school without telling anyone, and although they had never had many close friends there, they knew that at least some of their old acquaintances would recognise them, and ply them with awkward questions about why they'd left and where they were staying now... questions that they'd prefer not to answer. He didn't share these feelings with Katie, but one look at her face told him that she was feeling the same way.

After what felt like an eternity to him, the school bells finally shattered the stillness of the afternoon, and moments later the high school kids began to trickle around the corner and off down the street in both directions, chatting to each other just as the Deltas had been.

"Keep your eyes peeled," Matt said, tossing the remains of his sandwich into a nearby bin. "They'll be here soon."

Despite her previous brooding, Katie laughed and gave him a friendly shove. "Matt, don't be so serious," she smiled. "We're not hunting a bunch of Number holders here, we're just waiting for our friends. Stop acting so uptight."

Matt grinned sheepishly and nodded. "Sorry. I guess that whole thing with being ambushed by insane Numbers all the time has me rattled. I don't like letting my guard down when there are so many people after us."

"Relax man," Dan laughed. "Today's our day off. Nothing's going to stop us enjoying our day out."

At that moment, two more kids came around the corner, and Katie's face lit up with excitement as she recognised them. "Keane!" she called, waving frantically. "Keane, over here!"

Keane looked as if he'd been deep in thought, but now he quickly turned to the source of the noise and, the moment he saw who it was, smiled and relaxed, raising a hand in greeting. At the same time, a high-pitched squeal emanated from somewhere within the throng of children around him. Seconds later, what appeared to be a high-speed, joy-filled blur in school uniform forced its way through the crown and launched itself at James, wrapping its arms around him and squeezing the air out of his lungs.

"JAMES!" Esta cheered, hugging him even tighter. "I missed you! It's been ages! School is so boring without you! Why haven't you visited?!"

"Visited...?" James gasped, struggling to draw breath. "That sounds like a death sentence if ever I heard one..."

Katie, who by now was struggling to control her giggles, tapped Esta on the shoulder. "Esta, it's lovely to see you again, but would you mind not suffocating my boyfriend if you can help it?"

"KATIE!" Without warning, Esta spun around and delivered an equally bone-crushing hug to the red-haired girl. Behind her, Dan and Leah were cracking up laughing, Matt was shooing away the kids who had gathered to watch this joyful display, and Keane was just pushing his way through the last of the crowd.

"Alright Esta, that's enough," Keane smiled, stepping up next to her. "You'll want to leave at least some of her bones intact."

Esta moaned with disappointment, but released Katie all the same and focussed instead on greeting the rest of the Deltas. Meanwhile, Keane clapped James on the shoulder and gave Katie another hug, happy to be back amongst his friends again. Yet even as he did so, Katie could sense something else behind it. Somehow he wasn't as joyful as his sister was. Somehow he wasn't... all there.

"So, how come you guys came all the way out here to see us?" Keane asked once all the pleasantries had ceased.

Matt frowned. "Um... this was your idea, remember? You said you wanted to meet us after you finished school."

"Yes, but I also said I wanted to meet you in the park just down the road from here," Keane pointed out.

Katie raised an eyebrow, surprised. "So? We came out to see you guys a little sooner. Is that bad?"

"No no, not at all," Keane shook his head. "Actually, it works out quite well. There's something I wanted to discuss with you before we get there."

"What's that?"

Keane started to answer, then hesitated, glancing at Esta, who was engaged in an avid chat with Dan and Leah, and was barely listening to the conversation. He gently flicked her ear to get her attention. "Hey sis, you feeling hungry? Do you want to grab something to eat before we go to the park?"

"Definitely!" she nodded enthusiastically. "I didn't eat anything at lunch."

"You didn't? Why not?"

"I was dueling!"

Keane sighed. "Esta, what have I told you about that? I don't care how much fun you're having in a duel, you still have to eat."

She hung her head in shame. "Sorry big bro."

"It's fine," Keane said, before glancing up at Leah and Dan. "Would one of you mind taking her to grab a bite to eat before coming to join us?"

"Sure thing," Leah nodded.

"We'll both go," Dan added.

"Thanks," Keane nodded. "And make sure she eats something healthy. No chips, no sweets, and no chocolate! Ok?"

"Not a problem," Dan grinned. "Trust me, I know my food. As I'm sure the others will tell you, I'm a chef, and a pretty darn good one too-" Behind him, Leah snorted with laughter, and the other three all made gagging noises.

Keane smirked. "I'll take your word for it. Just try not to poison her, alright?"

"Don't worry, I'll keep him under control," Leah laughed, giving Dan a friendly swipe around the head. The 'master chef' folded his arms with a huff and turned away sulkily while the rest of the kids said bade farewell. And with that, less than five minutes after they'd met up, Keane, Matt, Katie, and James all set off for the park, while Esta, Leah, and Dan re-joined the queue at the sandwich shop, with plans to catch up later.

*A FEW MINUTES LATER*

"So... been up to anything exciting recently?" Katie asked.

"Huh?" Keane said, as if coming out of a daydream. "Nah, not really."

"Oh... ok..."

This was Katie's third attempt at holding a conversation, yet for some reason, Keane just wasn't in the mood. He'd been fine around Esta, but the moment they'd separated, all the joy seemed to have drained out of him, and he seemed to be off in his own little world. Both she and James had tried to coax him out of it, but to no avail. Matt, meanwhile, didn't seem to mind, and strode beside them without comment, as though content to wait until Keane was comfortable to speak on his own.

Nonetheless, Katie was worried. This simply wasn't like Keane. Whether happy or angry, he had always been one of the most outspoken people she'd come across, and to see him skulking along with his hands in his pockets, hardly saying a word to any of them, was totally alien to her. It was obvious that something was bothering him, and while she had no idea what it was, she knew it must be something big to make him act so distant.

In fact, it was Matt's patient method that turned out to be the most effective at bringing him out of his social-exile. As Katie opened her mouth to have another go, she heard Keane ask quietly, "Those friends of yours... are they strong duelists?"

"Strong duelists?" she repeated, confused. "Why do you want to know that?"

"Just tell me."

"Of course they're strong," Katie said. "They're two of the strongest duelists I know. Keane what-"

All of a sudden, he turned to her and said urgently, "I need your help! I think Esta and I are in danger!"

"Blimey!" James said, surprised. "Where'd that come from?"

Matt turned his head, suddenly interested. Katie, meanwhile, rested a gentle hand on Keane's shoulder in an effort to comfort him. "I knew something was bugging you," she said quietly. "Why don't you tell us what's going on? What makes you think someone's after your sister?"

With a sigh, Keane shrugged her hand off and turned away, looking even more depressed than before. Katie was afraid that he'd shrunk back into his dark thoughts, and was about to talk to him again when he turned back to her. "There's some stuff I need to tell you about," he said. "Stuff I never told anyone before. Stuff that could get me in heaps of trouble if someone found out... and someone did find out, about a year ago..."

"Why don't you start from the beginning?" Katie suggested.

Keane hesitated, then nodded, and took a deep breath before speaking again. "Alright then. First of all, you have to know that Esta isn't my real sister-"

"Duh, we all know that," James interrupted, ignoring the spectacular glare he was getting from Katie. "Your mum married her dad, which makes her your stepsister. Not sister by blood, but still your sister."

Keane laughed and shook his head. "Oh, what a brilliant lie that was."

"Lie?"

"She never knew her parents," he explained. "To be honest, I don't even know if she still has parents. I've been looking after her for a while now, so I know almost everything about her, from her favourite foods right down to the homework assignment she handed in five days ago... but when it comes to her history, I have absolutely no idea, and neither does she. The truth is..." He paused and took another deep breath. "...the truth is that I found her a few years ago."

"You... _found_ her?" James repeated, totally confused. "What do you mean found? What the hell are you on about?"

"I'd like to know that as well," Matt added. "Because from our experience, when an older person _finds_ a kid and decides to take them under their wing, it never ends well." An image of Lithon's laughing face filled his mind, and he shuddered involuntarily.

"It was almost two years ago," Keane started. "Late evening. I'd been visiting some of my distant relatives out in the country, and I was walking to the nearest bus stop down this stupid deserted road that my family likes to take walks down so much. Anyway, I turned a corner and... well... there she was."

Katie blinked with surprise. "What do you mean 'there she was'?"

"I mean what I say!" Keane snapped, before quickly regaining control of his temper. "I mean, when I turned the corner, I saw her lying unconscious in a ditch. She was covered in burns and cuts and bruises, the grass all around her was singed and blackened, and the road was littered with shards of metal, all twisted and burnt like the grass. To be honest, it looked like someone had set of a grenade right next to the poor girl."

"That's horrible," Katie breathed. "Do you have any idea what actually caused it?"

Keane shook his head. "No. At first I thought she might have been involved in a traffic accident of some sort, but then I realised that couldn't be true."

"Why not?" James asked.

"There was no car nearby," Keane pointed out. "Believe me, I looked. And since there wasn't, I found it pretty hard to believe that someone could've had such a horrible collision with another car, injuring Esta in the process, and then they both just drive away and leave her there. Besides, there was no glass at all, just metal. So if there was a crash, then it must have been hard enough to tear strips of metal away from the cars and cause a minor fire, but not hard enough to break a single window or windscreen."

"Ah..." James nodded, understanding.

"So what did you do after that?" Matt asked.

They were nearing the park now, and Keane was becoming increasingly on-edge as he spoke. "Well, I was about to call the police, but then she woke up. I checked to see if she was badly hurt, then asked what her name was and where her parents were... and both times she said she didn't know." He shook his head sadly. "I don't know how, but somehow, whatever accident she was in gave her the worst amnesia I've ever seen. She could remember how to speak, plus a few other basic things, but that's it. She didn't know what electricity was, or cars, or houses, or the sky... or her own name. It's like everything she'd learnt in her entire life besides language was wiped from her. She didn't even know how to feed or dress herself. I've literally had to teach her everything to keep her alive."

A stunned silence followed the end of his speech, while the Deltas struggled to process all this information. How could it be that this one little girl had been through so much, yet they'd never suspected that she was anything other than ordinary? To James and Katie, it made then re-evaluate every single thing they knew about her – and, indirectly, Keane.

"Jeez..." James breathed, finally able to articulate again. "And all this time we never knew..."

"What happened then?" Matt prompted, desperate to hear more of the story.

"I won't bore you with the details," Keane replied. "Long story short, I took her to the hospital, got her patched up, and lied to everyone about her being my stepsister. I was lucky that all this happened during the summer holidays; that gave me a few weeks to work with her, to get prepared so that when she went to school, she'd pass as a normal kid." He glanced at Katie and gave a shaky half-grin. "From the looks on your faces, I guess I did a decent job."

"So she'd only been out of hospital for a few days before I attacked her and put her back in?" Katie said sadly. "Poor girl... she really has been through a lot."

"But why now?" Matt asked.

"Hmm?"

"You've known James and Katie for a while now," Matt pointed out, as the finally passed through the gates and into the park. "Why would you choose today to tell us everything?"

Keane hung his head. "This is the worst part," he said. "Last night I got a message from an old acquaintance of mine, telling me to meet her in the park after school today. She said it concerned Esta's past... and she told me to bring you guys along too."

"Us?" Katie said, surprised. "This person knows us? And she knows that we're friends with you?"

"Yes," Keane nodded. "I'm sorry I deceived you, but I need to find out about Esta's past, and I was afraid that if you knew everything, you'd refuse to come."

"Who is this person?" Matt asked suspiciously.

Keane suddenly stopped dead. "Her," he said, pointing. The three Deltas turned to look at who he was pointing at... and recoiled in horror.

Standing on the grass, a few metres off of the path they had been following, was a tall woman dressed in a black leather jacket, white trousers, and black boots. Her dark hair, still complete with blonde highlights, wafted slightly in the breeze, and the familiar black sunglasses she always wore still obscured her eyes without reflecting any of her surroundings, so that they merely looked like two pools of pure darkness hiding her expressionless stare.

"Hello Keane," the Stranger said calmly. "Hello Deltas. It's a pleasure to meet you once again."

* * *

**Fun Fact #4: Enter the Stranger, stage right. *Applause***

**Fun Fact #5: You know how our stories go. Just a little light-heartedness before the horrific tragedies start.**

**Fun Fact #6: Ok, we're not quite done stalling for time yet. Remember, this story may be called Skyler's Story, but there are still other characters as well, so we thought we'd get a few of their revelations done and dusted before we move onto the main event.**


	3. Chapter 3

The Deltas stared at the woman, shocked at how suddenly she had turned up, and amazed that Keane had arranged a meeting with someone who had caused them so much trouble in the past. Several weeks ago, this woman had allowed Lithon to escape with Kodoku, prevented the Deltas from going after them... and then proclaimed herself to be their friend, which they found decidedly hard to believe.

"You again?" Matt growled, readying himself for a potential battle. "What're you doing here?"

"You know her?" Keane asked, surprised.

"Yeah, we met her once before," Katie whispered. "It was weird. She told us that she wanted us to stay safe and that she wasn't our enemy, but at the same time, she allowed one of our enemies to get away."

"I see..." Keane nodded.

"So how do _you_ know her?" James asked quietly.

"I met her ages ago," Keane replied. "It was before Katie dueled Esta. She just approached me in the street and we started talking. I've never met her in my life before that, yet somehow, she knows everything about the day I found Esta. In fact..." he stared at her intently, "...I'm beginning to suspect that she knows a lot more about that day than she's letting on."

"Your suspicions are correct," the Stranger said. The kids were surprised – they'd been speaking in hushed whispers, yet she'd still overheard them. "While I don't know every single detail about the day you're referring to, I imagine that my knowledge on the matter still eclipses yours."

"Then how about you share some of your infinite knowledge," Keane said sarcastically. "Tell me: What really happened that day? What was Esta doing there? What happened to her to put her in that condition?"

"Now now, Keane," the Stranger said. "You should know better than to ask questions out of turn."

Keane struggled to keep his temper from erupting. Ignoring her warning, he asked through gritted teeth, "Why did you want to meet us here? What was the point in calling me here if you're not going to tell me anything?"

"Peace, my boy," the woman replied, brushing her hair out of her face. "I certainly intend to provide you with the answers you seek. But before I divulge anything, we must duel."

This proposition caught Keane off guard. "Hang on, a duel? What the hell for?"

"I must test you," came the reply. "You are about to go through an extremely difficult trial, Keane. All of you are," she added, glancing at the Deltas. "Matt, you and your teammates are ready for the upcoming cataclysm, and I fully believe that you have what it takes to weather the harsh days that lie before you. Keane, however... your trial will be much more immediate, and I have to know that you'll be ready for it when it finally arrives."

Keane considered this for a moment, then nodded. "Fine," he said. "If it's a duel you want, then I'll gladly accept, on the condition that when I win, you tell me _everything_ you know about what happened to my sister that day."

"Agreed," the Stranger nodded. "I ask nothing in return. All I want is for you to try your hardest in this duel, to prove to me – and to yourself – that you are truly ready for the trial that lies ahead of you."

"I intend to!" Keane retorted. "I don't know or care what this trial is; nothing will stop me from finding out the truth."

"Then prove it!" the Stranger proclaimed, pulling a duel disk out from behind her back and affixing it to her arm.

Keane began to do likewise, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. It was Katie, and she looked concerned. "Keane, you don't have to do this-"

"Yes I do," he said firmly, cutting her off. "You don't understand, Katie. To me, Esta is the most important person in the world, and there isn't a single thing I wouldn't do if it meant she'd be safe, well looked after, and above all else, happy."

"Keane-"

"That's why I have to know this! I'm responsible for Esta's wellbeing, and yet I know absolutely nothing about her beyond the last two years max. For all I know, whoever – or whatever – was responsible for her amnesia will come back to finish her off. What will I do then? How will I recognise the threat when it approaches? How am I supposed to protect someone from a threat that I'm clueless about? Will I even perceive it as a threat before it's too late?" He turned back to face the Stranger, a fierce determination burning in his eyes. "That's why it's so important that I learn everything I can about her past. If she's in danger, I have to know so I can-"

"Keane, listen to me!" Katie insisted. "You didn't let me finish. I know you have to do this – understanding someone is important when you're responsible for them – but what I was trying to say is that you don't have to do this alone." Keane blinked in surprise. "Let me join this duel as well. There's something very strange about that woman, and I think it would be safer if both of us were to duel her."

Keane stared at her for a moment, surprised by her suggestion. Seeking an answer, he glanced at the Stranger.

The Stranger took a moment to respond. She was secretly deeply impressed by the depths of Keane's compassion for his pseudo-sister, and decided to commend him on it after the duel. She knew, though, that the girl called Katie mustn't be allowed to interfere with this duel – it was important that she test Keane and no-one else. Thus, she shook her head ever so slightly and said, "No. I'm sorry young lady, but Keane must go through this alone."

With a shrug, Keane turned back to the Deltas. "Sorry Katie, but that's that. I have to play by her rules if I want to get a word out of her." With that, he spun on his heel and marched out onto an open patch of grass, where he and the Stranger would have plenty of space to duel. Katie watched him go, concern etched into her expression.

Once both duelists were in position, Keane whipped out his duel disk and attached it to his arm, at the same time hooking his D-Gazer over his ear. It flashed as it linked up with the duel program, and at the same moment, one of the lenses of the Stranger's sunglasses flared with green light before returning to its original black emptiness – Keane assumed that her D-Gazer was actually incorporated into the glasses. Three more sets of D-Gazers linked into the duel, and the augmented reality rose up around them, tinting their surroundings an electric green.

_"AR Vision – link established."_

"DUEL!"

**Stranger LP:** 4000

**Keane LP:** 4000

"The first move is mine," the Stranger asserted, and Keane didn't argue. "I draw. First, I activate the Field Spell Card, Cosmic Space!" As she slotted the Field Spell Card into her duel disk, the sky above them distorted and darkened, turning pitch black within seconds. It wasn't a night sky though – this was the city, so night skies tended to be almost devoid of stars due to light pollution.

This sky, however... there were no words to describe it. The black emptiness was festooned with stars. Thousands, millions, countless numbers of them, all twinkling with different colours, and together producing enough light to illuminate the park just as well as the sun had.

"Cosmic Space..." Keane repeated, staring at the sky above him. "So what could this be...?"

"Next, I Normal Summon Eva Epsilon!" the Stranger continued, calling a strange, disfigured creature to the field. It had two long, heavily armoured arms with vicious-looking claws at the end, attached to a short, comma-like body. An angled, pointy face sat on the end of an abnormally long neck.

Eva Epsilon: Fiend-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1500/DEF 1600

"And now the effect of Cosmic Space is applied. Each time a monster other than a Token is placed on the field, Life Star Counters are placed on that monster equal to its Level."

Eva Epsilon: 0 → 4 Life Star Counters

"And what do those do?" Keane asked.

"You'll find out shortly," the Stranger replied, placing another card on her duel disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn. And during each End Phase, one Life Star Counter is removed from all monsters on the field."

Eva Epsilon: 4 → 3 Life Star Counters

"My turn then," Keane said, still confused, but determined not to show it. "I draw. First, I activate the Spell Card, Three-Card Summon! With this, I can reveal three monsters with the same Level in my hand, then Special Summon one of those monsters." He plucked three cards from his hand and held them up for all to see: Noble Knight Artorigus, **Bujin Uzume**, and Guardian of the Throne Room. "I choose to Special Summon **Bujin Uzume**!" With a flash of light, a humanoid female appeared, with skin glowing a pure yellow colour, as though the sun itself was shining though its body. Its torso and limbs were adorned with pieces of grey, segmented armour, with intricate carvings etched into it that allowed the radiant light beneath it to shine through.

**Bujin Uzume: Beast-Warrior-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1300**

"Don't forget," the Stranger said, stopping Keane in his tracks. "Any monsters that either of us Summon gain Life Star Counters equal to their Level."

**Bujin Uzume: 0 **→** 4 Life Star Counters**

"Whatever," Keane said dismissively. "Next, I Normal Summon Guardian of the Throne Room!" A missile-toting golden robot appeared beside the radiant Bujin. It ran on tracks, and had an armada of white missile launchers fixed to its back.

Guardian of the Throne Room: Machine-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1650/DEF 1600

Guardian of the Throne Room: 0 → 4 Life Star Counters

"Level four Uzume and Guardian, Overlay!" Both monsters morphed into yellow amorphous masses and shot upwards, clearing the way for a red spiral portal to open beneath them. "I use these two LIGHT-Attribute monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The two Xyz Material Monsters sailed into the portal, which then upended itself, so it was now standing up between the two duelists. "Appear, Constellar Omega!" A centaur-like creature galloped out of the portal. It was coloured a magnificent white and gold, with black protrusions that resembled wings coming from its back. The Constellar's Xyz crest - a golden circle with eight points, and a smaller copy of itself within - was sparkling on its chest. Two yellow Overlay Units orbited it.

Constellar Omega: Beast-Warrior-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2400/DEF 500 – 2 OLU

"And since Omega is an Xyz Monster," Keane went on, "Cosmic Space can't place any Counters on it, because it doesn't have any Level to work with." He shot another cursory glance at the starry sky. "I don't know what these Life Star Counters do, but I think it's best I don't find out. So now I... I'll..." He trailed off as he saw the Stranger shaking her head slowly.

"Oh you brave, utterly foolhardy child," she said. "You should not have tried that. Attempting to take the easy way out will not lead you to victory against me."

Keane was about to ask what she meant, when a motion out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned just in time to catch Constellar Omega... fading. It was the strangest thing. The monster had just been Summoned, and the Stranger hadn't activated any effects that could destroy it. Yet here it was, being blown away before his eyes, the gentle afternoon breeze slowly dissipating the centaur as if it was made from nothing but smoke. Within seconds it was gone, and the two yellow orbs of light that had encircled it moments before dropped out of orbit, dissipating against the hard ground.

"What the hell was that?" Keane asked incredulously. "What happened to my monster?"

"It was destroyed," the Stranger said simply. "As I said before, Cosmic Space distributes Life Star Counters equal to a monster's Level when it appears on the field. What I didn't mention is that these Life Star Counters are directly tied into that monster's life. Slowly, their life will be eaten away by the harshness of the universe they live in until their Life Star Counters reach zero. That's the natural order of things. Xyz Monsters, however, who come from another space entirely, and have a Rank rather than a Level, cannot be a part of this system, and thus start with zero Life Star Counters the moment they enter our universe."

"What are you trying to say?" Keane asked, although he had a horrible feeling he already knew.

"Xyz Monsters have no place in this realm," the woman went on. "Their very existence is a blemish on Duel Monsters, and until now they have enjoyed a glorious reign in duels, skipping under Level-affecting cards without a second thought, giving them an advantage not afforded to most cards, as well as being unaffected by the life-affirming effects of Cosmic Space. Well no longer. You don't get to Summon those monstrosities against me. You see, due to the effect of Cosmic Space, any monster that ends up with zero Life Star Counters on it is automatically destroyed. Normally it only applies to monsters that run out of Life Star Counters naturally, but in this case, it also serves to eliminate the threat of Xyz Monsters the moment they try to show their faces!"

"No..." Keane breathed.

"It can't be..." Katie gasped from the sidelines.

"Now you understand," the Stranger declared, pointing authoritatively up into the depths of the cosmos. "As long as Cosmic Space remains in play, all Xyz Summons are permanently sealed!"

* * *

Author-made cards:

Bujin Uzume  
Beast-Warrior-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1300  
_A well-revered deity of levity, who's Dance of Kagura can bring forth the radiance of the sun itself._

* * *

**Fun Fact #7: Oh yeah, did we mention that the Stranger will be dueling in this story?**

**Fun Fact #8: Yep, she uses an Eva Deck. The original Japanese name for the Eva cards was EBE (Extraterrestrial Biological Entity), and we collectively decided that even though she isn't from space, those cards were still beautifully representative of the Stranger's mysterious, rather otherworldly nature/knowledge.**

**Fun Fact #9: Under normal circumstances we would have used the Japanese name for the Eva cards rather than the translation, but Zeta Reticulant (a card that produces Eva Tokens) has already been released in the TCG, which means we have a confirmed TCG name for the Eva monsters.**

**Fun Fact #10: Cosmic Space is such a redundant name for a card. It's as if the magna writers said, "It's space! Which is cosmic! But for those of you who still aren't sure what space is, we'll call it Cosmic Space! Yay!"**


	4. Chapter 4

**Stranger LP:** 4000

Eva Epsilon: Fiend-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1500/DEF 1600 – 3 Life Star Counters

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Cosmic Space [Field Card], 1 set card

**Keane LP:** 4000

James couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You're joking! No Xyz Summons at all?! That's so unfair!"

The Stranger glanced at him. "It's Keane's own fault for basing his entire Deck around the concept of Xyz Summons," she replied coldly. "Yes they're powerful, but they aren't the answer to everything. This a lesson you must learn quickly," she added, turning back to Keane, "if you are to have any hopes of protecting those you hold dear."

"Don't take me for a lightweight!" Keane retorted loudly. "I'm still more than a match for you! I end my turn there."

Eva Epsilon: 3 → 2 Life Star Counters

"Then it's my turn again. I draw," the Stranger began. "I activate the Spell Card, Sacred Sword of the Seven Stars. By banishing one Level seven monster from my field or hand, this card lets me draw two cards." The shady woman sent Zeta Reticulant off to the banished zone, then drew her two cards. "Good," she nodded. "Now I activate the Continuous Spell Card, Field Barrier!" She activated the card, causing a rippling veil of pale green light to spread across the sky, before fading back into the inky blackness. "With this card in play, Field Spell Cards on the field can't be destroyed, nor can a new one be played over the top of the current one."

Keane gritted his teeth. _'She's already locked down every offensive option I have one card… now she's just making sure that card stays safe from-'_

"Next, I Normal Summon Eva Epsilon!" Keane was startled out of his thoughts as the Stranger called another copy of the strange alien-like creature to the field.

Eva Epsilon: Fiend-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1500/DEF 1600

Eva Epsilon: 0 → 4 Life Star Counters

"Battle! Both Eva Epsilons, attack him directly!" The two Eva monsters immediately lurched forwards and aimed a series of slashes at Keane, who staggered back under the barrage of claws and spikes.

**Keane LP:** 4000 → 2500 → 1000

"With that, I end my turn," the Stranger concluded.

Eva Epsilon: 2 → 1 Life Star Counter

Eva Epsilon: 4 → 3 Life Star Counters

"This is ridiculous..." Katie muttered angrily, carefully keeping her voice low so Keane wouldn't hear her. "It's so one-sided. Keane's just getting torn apart out there, and with that Field Spell active there's nothing he can do to counterattack." In desperation, she turned to her teammates. "Matt, you're good out working these things out. How is Keane going to win?"

"You're asking the wrong person there," James said, before Matt could say a word. "You should be asking yourself."

"Myself?"

"Yep," Matt agreed. "Remember your duel against Number 72, where you managed to take down two monsters with over 4000 DEF, as well as a duelist with more than 15000 Life Points, all the while with almost no Deck?"

"You're way better at improvising strategies than any of us," James pointed out. "So we were kinda relying on you to tell us how Keane will win."

"Oh... well, no pressure there then," Katie said half-jokingly. As she quickly ran through everything she knew about Cosmic Space – its effects, clear strengths, potential weaknesses, exploitable loopholes, everything – Keane finally picked himself up and commenced his turn, oblivious to her deliberations.

"My turn, draw! I Normal Summon Noble Knight Artorigus!" The monster that appeared was a warrior, garbed in an old-fashioned suit of armour with fur a lining and no helmet, and carrying a shimmering longsword.

Noble Knight Artorigus: Warrior-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 1800

Noble Knight Artorigus: 0 → 4 Life Star Counters

"Then I activate the Equip Spell Card, Excalibur! Equip to Artorigus!" Out of nowhere, a bright silver sword with a pale blue cross-guard appeared, embedded in the ground next to the Noble Knight. In one swift movement, Artorigus pulled the sword out of the soft earth and thrust it aloft with a shout. "While this card is equipped to a monster, the equipped monster's original ATK is doubled!"

Noble Knight Artorigus: ATK 1800 → 3600

"The downside," Keane continued, "is that I can't conduct a Draw Phase while Excalibur is in play. Also, if I try to draw a card by other means, this card is destroyed."

"Brilliant!" Katie gasped.

"What?" James asked. "What's brilliant?"

"The Stranger was wrong," Katie explained. "Keane's Deck isn't based around Xyz Summoning, but around powerful plays. Sure Xyz Monsters are usually his power plays, but his power-up cards can still be used on his regular monsters."

"Ah, I see," Matt nodded. "He's not trying to fight against Cosmic Space's effect, he's actually going along with it."

"Exactly," Katie said. "He's going to beat this lady at her own game!"

"Battle!" Keane's shout swiftly snapped their attention back to the duel. "Artorigus, attack the most recently Summoned Eva Epsilon!" With a battle cry, the knight made its charge against the extraterrestrial entity, cleaving it in two with a single swing of its mighty blade, leaving only the original one remaining.

**Stranger LP:** 4000 → 1900

"I place one card face-down and end my turn there," Keane said, settling back to watch what would happen next.

Noble Knight Artorigus: 4 → 3 Life Star Counters

Eva Epsilon: 1 → 0 Life Star Counters

"And with that, your other monster has run out of Life Star Counters, so the other effect of your Field Spell will destroy it." Keane grinned confidently. "Let's see how you like being on the receiving end of your own effect!" Sure enough, a moment later, the last remaining Epsilon began to erode, dissipating like a wisp of smoke until there was nothing left, leaving the Stranger's field devoid of monsters.

"Interesting..." The black-haired woman scratched her chin thoughtfully. "You've swiftly formulated a counter strategy to avoid the effect of my Field Spell. I'm suitably impressed, young man. Most dedicated Xyz Decks would not be capable of performing such a counterattack."

"Don't patronise me!" Keane snapped. "Just shut up and make your move already!"

"As you wish," the Stranger said calmly. "My turn, draw. First, I Summon Lyra the Giver!" A large, skeletal alien appeared, draped over the top of a giant black sphere of glass.

Lyra the Giver: Fiend-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 1500

Lyra the Giver: 0 → 4 Life Star Counters

"Then I activate the Spell Card, **Life Star Supernova**!" The Spell appeared on her field. "This card requires me to send one monster each of us controls to the Graveyard, with a number of Life Star Counters between them that totals seven or more. Once that is done, I can bring Greed Quasar to the field, straight from my hand, Deck, or Graveyard."

"So you're Tributing _my_ monsters to facilitate _your_ Summons?" Keane said. "That's sneaky! Use your own damn monsters!"

"Leave that which you cherish unprotected, and you risk losing it," the Stranger replied simply. "Now, I send Noble Knight Artorigus and Lyra the Giver to the Graveyard." Both players' monsters burst into a shower of light particles, which reformed themselves as seven glowing orbs, similar to Overlay Units (three on Keane's side, four on the Stranger's). Artorigus' blade fell to the ground and shattered. The orbs then sailed upwards and collided in mid-air, producing an almighty explosion. "Appear, Greed Quasar!" From the residue of the explosion, a huge armoured creature descended, with solid beige torso-plating stylised to look like a skull. It had long, similarly-armoured arms, and a pointy conical head, from which its beady red eyes stared out over the field.

Greed Quasar: Fiend-Type/DARK/Level 7/ATK ?/DEF ?

Greed Quasar: 0 → 7 Life Star Counters

"The ATK and DEF of Greed Quasar is determined by its Level, multiplied by 300," the Stranger explained. "Greed Quasar is currently a Level seven monster, which, multiplied by 300, gives it a total of 2100 ATK and DEF."

Greed Quasar: ATK ? → 2100/DEF ? → 2100

"And that's more than enough to wipe you out. Greed Quasar, attack him dir-"

Keane responded almost immediately. "I activate the Continuous Trap Card, Birthright!" The Trap flipped up. "With this, I can revive any Normal Monster from my Graveyard in Attack Position. I choose Noble Knight Artorigus!" The elegant warrior returned to the field, swinging its blade in a flourish.

Noble Knight Artorigus: Warrior-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 1800

Noble Knight Artorigus: 0 → 4 Life Star Counters

"Hmm, so you temporarily avoided defeat after all," the Stranger observed. "No matter, all you've succeeded in doing is stalling for another turn, while at the same time giving yourself even less chance of claiming a victory."

"What do you mean?" Keane asked suspiciously.

"Greed Quasar, redirect your attack to Noble Knight Artorigus!" Ignoring the question entirely, the woman continued her relentless offensive. The armoured monster above her blazed with the blinding light of a supernova, and as if in synchronisation, the stars in the sky above them shone and pulsed with multi-coloured light of their own. Keane covered his eyes, unable to cope with all this light at once. Without warning, and invisible shockwave emanated from the monster suspended above them and struck Keane's knight, destroying it on the spot.

**Keane LP:** 1000 → 700

"_Now_ I'll tell you what I mean," the Stranger continued calmly. "Whenever Greed Quasar destroys a monster by battle, its Level is increased by the Level of the destroyed monster, with no cap on the heights it can achieve."

Greed Quasar: Level 7 → 11

"Additionally, since its ATK and DEF are both calculated based on its Level, it also gains a power boost from this increase."

Greed Quasar: ATK 2100 → 3300/DEF 2100 → 3300

"Do you understand now, Keane?" she asked. "Your Xyz Monsters have already failed, and although you have successfully formulated a strategy that will keep you in the game a few more turns, in the end, all you are really doing is flailing uselessly at me with your weak Material Monsters. And everyone knows that weak monsters eventually become food for strong monsters. Those are the facts, Keane, plain and simple. So unless you can severely pick up your game and formulate a stronger strategy, I'm afraid that in the end, you will succumb to the same fate as your monsters."

The Stranger cut her monologue off there to take a card from her hand. She didn't play it immediately, but rather stared at it forlornly... almost with a sense of regret. Finally though, she returned her attention to her opponent and placed the card on her duel disk in one swift motion. "I place one card face-down. Turn end."

Greed Quasar: 7 → 6 Life Star Counters

Keane, who until now had been doing his best to block out the Stranger's words, instead focussed all his attention on the card in his hand – the _only_ card in his hand. Rescue Rabbit. The best card in his entire Deck by far... but hardly a game-winner in a situation where he couldn't Xyz Summon. He needed something else.

"My turn, draw!" His desperation only grew more pronounced as he looked at his new card. "I activate Card of Adversity! With this, if I control no monsters, but you control at least one Special Summoned monster, I can draw two cards!" And he did exactly that, hoping and praying for a pair of miracle draws.

Ego Boost and Swing of Memories.

Keane's heart sank. This was the worst possible hand he could have. Sure he had Swing of Memories and Rescue Rabbit, which, between them, could amass three powerful monsters on his field. Unfortunately, that strategy had several gaping flaws. Using them to defend was out of the question because three would just be destroyed during the End Phase, no Normal Monster in his Deck was strong enough to take down Greed Quasar even with Ego Boost... and to top it all off, he couldn't Xyz Summon with Cosmic Space in play.

He supposed he could always just set Rescue Rabbit and hope for the best... but hoping had gotten him nowhere so far, and he had no reason to believe luck was on his side now. All the Stranger had to do was Summon a monster – any monster with 700 or more ATK – and he'd be finished. He let his hands fall to his side limply. There was nothing more he could do. This woman had had him beaten from the moment she'd played that Field Spell, and now, all he could do was sit back and wait for the inevitable.

Unless...

Out of nowhere, a tiny glimmer of thought sparked into life inside Keane's head. It was a memory. A memory of a card that had disappeared into obscurity a long time ago, and which he often included in his Extra Deck for the sheer novelty of it. He rarely used it, but it was always good to know he had a backup with a bit of muscle behind it. He never thought he'd truly had need of it.

Now, however, he found himself plunging a hand into his Deck box and pulling out his Extra Deck. His hands little more than a blur, he flicked through his sealed-off powerhouses as quickly as he could, hoping against hope that he hadn't taken the card out.

He hadn't. It was still there.

With a grin, he took one last glance at his hand to confirm his play, before looking up at the Stranger. She would not get the best of him today. She had information Keane wanted, and nothing was going to stop him getting it, not even that accursed Field Spell that had kept him almost completely locked down for the entire game. This woman had kept him caged for long enough.

_'Alright…' _he thought to himself. _'Let the counterattack begin.'_

* * *

Author-made cards:

Life Star Supernova  
Spell Card  
Target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls and 1 face-up monster you control with a total of 7 or more Life Star Counters on them; send those targets to the Graveyard, and if you do, Special Summon 1 "Greed Quasar" from your hand, Deck or Graveyard. You can only activate 1 "Life Star Supernova" per turn.

* * *

**Fun Fact #11: Alright people, same deal as the Dan vs Sateis duel. The Stranger has Cosmic Space, protected by Field Barrier, and a Greed Quasar with 3100 ATK and DEF. Keane has an empty field, and Rescue Rabbit, Ego Boost, and Swing of Memories in his hand. How is Keane going to get out of this, based on what's currently on the field and in his hand/Deck/Extra Deck? Like last time, we won't be using new author-made cards for Keane's comeback (that would just be overly mean). We'd just like to see what you guys can come up with.**

**Fun Fact #12: Artorigus equipped with Excalibur. How beautifully fitting.**

**Fun Fact #13: If all goes to plan, then the next Chapter... that's when things really start to kick off.**

**Fun Fact #14: We really should stop calling it the 'Author-made cards' section when there's just one of them.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Stranger LP:** 1900

Greed Quasar: Fiend-Type/DARK/Level 11/ATK 3300/DEF 3300 – 6 Life Star Counters

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Cosmic Space [Field Card], Field Barrier, 2 set cards

**Keane LP:** 700

A shout from a short distance away caught the spectators' attention. They three of them turned to the source of the noise, to see Leah, Dan, and Esta jogging across the grass towards them.

"You got my message then," Matt said, as the three kids stopped in front of them, panting.

"What... what's going on?" Esta asked between breaths. "Why is my brother dueling? And why is he dueling her?"

"Is that the Stranger" Leah asked incredulously. Then, she turned to Esta and said, "Do you know her?"

Esta nodded. "When I got my first Deck, she gave me a duel disk so I could have a duel with Keane. That's why I'm confused. Why would he be dueling her now?"

Matt and Katie glanced shiftily at each other. They had meant to do it discretely, but whereas Esta and Dan were focussed on the duel, Leah noticed, and instantly realised that they knew a lot more than they were letting on.

"Tell her the truth," Leah told them firmly. "Whatever's happening here, she deserves to know if it involves her brother."

Katie sighed. She was right of course, but it still didn't make her feel any better about telling Esta what was going on, how much Keane had told them about her past, and why he was now dueling. Nevertheless, she accepted that it was her role to tell her, and leant down to begin explaining everything. Beside her, Leah and Dan – who had also been absent when all this had happened – surreptitiously leant their heads in to listen.

And as the whispered conversations continued, Keane – unaware that his sister was now watching – began his counterattack.

"Here we go!" he shouted. "I activate the Spell Card, Swing of Memories, which lets me revive any Normal Monster from my Graveyard in Attack Position, but it'll be destroyed during the End Phase. Reappear, Noble Knight Artorigus!" The medieval knight took to the field once again.

Noble Knight Artorigus: Warrior-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 1800

Noble Knight Artorigus: 0 → 4 Life Star Counters

"Hmm... you must be abnormally fond of that monster to Summon it three times in a single duel," the Stranger observed.

"I Summoned it three times because it was useful three times," Keane retorted. "Now then, I Normal Summon Rescue Rabbit!" The adorable little rabbit in a hardhat hopped onto the field, sniffing at the air curiously.

Rescue Rabbit: Beast-Type/EARTH/Level 4/ATK 300/DEF 100

Rescue Rabbit: 0 → 4 Life Star Counters

"Then I activate Rabbit's effect! By banishing it, I can Special Summon two Level four or lower Normal Monsters from my Deck, but they too get destroyed during the End Phase. I choose two copies of Gladiator Beast Andal!" As the fluff-ball faded into oblivion, two colossal black bears appeared, with strips of violet armour draped over portions of their bodies.

Gladiator Beast Andal: Beast-Warrior-Type/EARTH/Level 4/ATK 1900/DEF 1500

Gladiator Beast Andal: Beast-Warrior-Type/EARTH/Level 4/ATK 1900/DEF 1500

Gladiator Beast Andal: 0 → 4 Life Star Counters

Gladiator Beast Andal: 0 → 4 Life Star Counters

"To what end?" the Stranger asked. "They'll just be destroyed during the End Phase, and using them as Xyz Material Monsters is pointless. No Xyz Monsters can survive under the effects of Cosmic Space." Regardless, she continued to study Keane's monsters suspiciously, until, quite out of the blue, a thought occurred to her. "Unless..."

Keane raised his hand. "I return both copies of Gladiator Beast Andal straight back to my Deck! Contact Fusion!" Both beastly creatures seemed to lift off the ground and soared into the air. Beneath the starry sky, the two monsters' bodies became one, producing a piercing flare of light. "Come! Gladiator Beast Essedarii!" A massive golden chariot dropped out of the unearthly blaze and landed behind Keane with a huge crash. The chariot was streamlined and stylised for battles, and was driven by a huge, muscle-bound creature with black skin, a gorilla's face, and a golden helmet. In one hand it held a golden, tempered shield, and in the other was a spiked black mace, almost as huge as the monster itself was.

Gladiator Beast Essedarii: Beast-Type/Fusion/EARTH/Level 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1400

Gladiator Beast Essedarii: 0 → 5 Life Star Counters

The Stranger seemed genuinely taken aback by this new monster. "A Fusion Monster... in an Xyz-central Deck..." she remarked, staring at Essedarii with something close to admiration. "How wonderfully daring."

"Battle!" Keane shouted, ignoring the compliment. "Gladiator Beast Essedarii, attack Greed Quasar!"

"What the hell?" James gasped, cutting the spectators' conversation short. "What's he doing? He'll lose if this attack connects!"

"Big brother, stop!" Esta cried.

Keane could hardly hear them. The roar of his own thoughts, the thundering of the chariot as Essedarii began to build up speed – it was all blending together in a cacophony of sensation and determination. Before anyone else could shout at him, he plucked the last card from his hand and activated it. "Now, at attack declaration, I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, Ego Boost!" The Spell appeared just behind Artorigus, who stepped aside to give the Stranger a clear view. "With this, when a monster declares an attack, I can boost the ATK of one target monster on the field by 1000 points until the end of the Battle Phase! I target Essedarii!"

Gladiator Beast Essedarii: ATK 2500 → 3500

"Brilliant!" Katie cheered. "He got the perfect hand after all!"

"What's that mean?" Esta asked, still struggling to keep up with the pace of the duel.

"It means your brother's won!" Katie replied excitedly.

The Stranger watched the monster approach her field with a feeling of warm satisfaction. _'I see,' _she thought to herself. _'With the effect of Ego Boost, not only is Essedarii strong enough to destroy Greed Quasar, but it'll also bring my Life Points down to 1700, which will be enough for Artorigus to wipe out.' _She smiled to herself, then said aloud, "Keane, your strategies are outstanding, and your ability to adapt to harsh changes shows me that you're a far greater duelist than I ever dared imagine. You should be proud of yourself for making it this far."

Keane narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "I appreciate the compliments, but what're you getting at?" Across the field, the charioteer was pulling back its right arm, ready to launch its mace high into the sky.

"I'm afraid that while you have me suitable impressed, you will not be walking away with the victory today," she replied.

"What?"

"I activate the Trap Card, **Life Star Burn**!" the woman declared, triggering one of her two set cards. "When this card is activated, every face-up monster on my side of the field will be destroyed. Then, you'll take damage equal to the total number of Life Star Counters on the destroyed monsters multiplied by 300!" Above her, Greed Quasar began to shine with a fiery light.

"No..." Keane breathed, staring up at the monster in horror. "No... that means..."

"Greed Quasar has six Life Star Counters on it," the Stranger said. "Which means you take 1800 points of damage!" At that moment, the armoured creature suspended in the starry sky above them exploded, becoming engulfed by a huge fireball. In less than a second, the flames had swept across the whole field, including both monsters and both duelists. However, out of the four of them, Keane was the only one to feel any pain. He cried out, knocked backwards from the force of the explosion. When the flames dissipated, he was lying on his back, dazed, breathless and defeated.

**Stranger LP:** 1900 [WINNER]

**Keane LP:** 700 → 0

A claxon echoed across the field, signalling the end of the duel, and the augmented reality field faded away, taking all remaining monsters with it and reverting the sky back to its natural state. The moment it had, all six spectators swiftly removed their D-Gazers and rushed to Keane's aid. Esta in particular was distressed to see her brother lose so badly. The Stranger merely watched from a distance.

"Keane... Keane, are you ok?" Esta said, shaking her brother gently.

"Esta..." Slowly, tortuously, Keane came to his senses, and smiled faintly when he saw his sister's face. "Hey sis. When did you get here?"

"A few minutes ago." With Katie and James' help, she pulled Keane into a sitting position and sat in front of him. "Big brother, Katie and the others told me why you were dueling. They said you wanted this lady to tell you something about me. Is that true?"

Keane hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah... she said she knew what happened to you the day we met. You remember? The day I found you in the road, surrounded by burnt grass and pieces of metal."

"Scorched ground... shards of metal..." Leah was talking more to herself than anything, but she still leant in to Dan and whispered, "Why does that sound so familiar?"

"Beats me," Dan shrugged.

"I just wanted to know what happened to you," Keane said, reaching up and stroking Esta's cheek. "You're so important to me Esta, and if you ever were – or still could be – in danger from something, I have to know about it. That's why I accepted this duel; to get the information that would let me keep you safe."

Esta smiled and pulled her brother into a hug, who winced from the bruises he'd gotten when he hit the ground, but returned the gesture nonetheless. When they finally separated, Esta stayed silent for a moment, as if trying to think of the right way to put her thoughts into words. Katie watched her, knowing full well how difficult it must be for such a young girl to talk about such complex topics.

"Big bro..." Esta started, choosing her words carefully. "I... well... I don't care about my past."

Keane blinked in surprise. "You don't?"

She shook her head, still smiling. "Nope. I'd like to know, of course, but it doesn't bother me that I don't know. It doesn't worry me. You're what worries me."

"Me?"

"What if you'd gotten hurt out there?" she said. "What if you'd been put in the hospital like I was? You're so important to me too, Keane. Yes I want to know what happened to me, but if finding that out means you getting hurt... I think I'd rather never know."

"I'm proud of you two." The Stranger had silently come up behind them, and all seven kids jumped at the sound of her voice. "You're both finally beginning to understand what's truly important. It isn't the mysteries of the past or the future, it's the reality of the present. No matter what happened or what could happen, fate has brought you together now, and you must protect and cherish each other. That's what I was trying to teach you by defeating you."

"Teach us?" Keane repeated. "Are you blind? We already know that we have to 'protect and cherish' each other."

"But do you?" the Stranger replied. "Keane, you dove into a duel with an unknown, potentially dangerous enemy, with no regard for your safety or wellbeing, all for the sake of unravelling the mysteries of the past. Do you realise how irresponsible that was? If I had been a vicious Number holder, if you had been injured or worse, then who would look after Esta? How would you care for her from a hospital bed?"

A look of realisation flickered through Keane's eyes. "Oh..."

"If the only way to protect each other is by putting yourself in harm's way, then sometimes that's what you must do," the Stranger continued. "But if the only reason for a dangerous duel is an uncertain reward, or a potentially useless piece of trivia, you mustn't put yourself in such a precarious situation. This applies to both of you," she added, nodding to Esta as well.

Keane didn't know why he was taking advice from this woman, nor why he was letting her tell him how to look after his sister. However, everything she had said was true, and for Esta's sake, he couldn't just ignore it. Thus, he pushed himself shakily to his feet – supported on all sides by his friends – and nodded to her curtly. "Thank you for the advice," he said. Esta did likewise.

"Well, that's that," the Stranger said, clapping her hands together. "The purpose of the duel was to assess how prepared you are to protect Esta, and the purpose of this little chat was to make sure you won't be so reckless in the future. I'm reasonably satisfied that I was successful on both counts. As per our arrangement, I was the victor, thus I'm not required to give you the information you seek yet."

"I see..." Keane said solemnly. Then, "Will you tell me anyway?"

The Stranger frowned. "Having lost this duel, you have no right to ask such a question," she replied sternly, and Keane looked down at his feet, ashamed and disappointed.

"Um... may I ask a question?" Esta said nervously.

"You may."

"James told me that you know what happened to me before I lost my memory. And I wanted to know... well, um... did you have something to do with it?"

Keane's eyes narrowed. "That's a very good question," he said, stepping forward to stand alongside his sister. "Are you the one that did this to her? Is that why you're being so evasive with my questions?"

The Stranger chuckled quietly. "No, Esta. I had nothing to do with what happened to you. I was able to watch the whole event – which is where my knowledge on the subject comes from – but I was a silent observer, nothing more."

Keane felt like tearing his hair out in frustration. Trying to get answers out of this woman was like hitting your head against a brick wall. Beside him, James had a rare brainwave, and stepped forward to ask a question of his own. "If you were watching, then do you know of anyone else who was involved in that event?" he asked. "Because if so, we could go to them for answers instead."

"Hey yeah, that's a good idea," Esta said enthusiastically.

"Ah, an interesting question," the Stranger said, although her face showed no such enthusiasm. "There were actually two men who were directly involved with how Esta lost her memories."

"Who were they?" Keane demanded.

The Stranger glanced around the group, her veiled gaze settling on each of the five Deltas in turn, before she said, "The first is Professor Usur."

"Usur?!" Leah gasped.

"Our Professor? Seriously?" Matt asked, equally astonished. "Our Professor was responsible for what happened to Esta?"

"In part, yes," the Stranger said slowly. "Although not all the blame lies with him."

"Alright then, who's the other guy?" Keane asked.

The Stranger was about to answer, when a shout cut her off. As one, all eight duelists turned towards the source of the noise, to see who could possibly be calling out to them... and the moment they saw who it was, they wished they hadn't. There, merely a few yards away, stood a man in a grey trench coat, with a shininy metal hand poking out of his right sleeve, and his scraggily grey hair doing nothing to conceal the hard lines of his face, and the cold emptiness of his eyes.

Skyler had found them again.

The five Deltas felt their blood run cold. Keane and Esta simply stared – they'd never met this man before, so they didn't know what to expect. The Stranger stood there, fists clenched, looking genuinely worried for the first time ever. She leant back slightly and whispered to Matt and Keane as quietly as she could, "You have to get out of here."

"Why?" Matt asked equally quietly. "We've dealt with Skyler before. We can take him-"

"There's no time to explain," she replied urgently. "Take Esta and get out of here, fast."

"I got your message," Skyler called out, addressing the Stranger directly before any more questions could be asked. "You said you wanted to meet me here for a duel."

"You're early," the Stranger replied simply. "You weren't supposed to be here for another hour. I'm still taking care of other business."

"So I see." With detached curiosity, he glanced past her at the kids behind her, who had refused to run despite the Stranger's warnings. "Why hello again, young Deltas," he said. "Fancy meeting you here. Tell me, did this woman call you here for a duel as well?"

"Go to hell you scumbag!" Leah snapped back.

Skyler smirked. "Temper temper, young lady. Remember what happened the last time you gave in to your anger?"

"You mean the time I beat you into a pulp?" Leah retorted.

But Skyler had already lost interest, and had turned to address Keane and Esta instead. His eyes past contemptuously over Keane, deeming him as little more than a Numberless maggot, but the moment he laid eyes on Esta, he just... froze. His sense of smug superiority disappeared in an instant, and he just stared at her as if hypnotised, unable to believe what he was seeing. His hand was shaking. His heart was beating about a thousand times a minute. Could this really be real?

"S- Seren...?" he said slowly. He looked like he was in a daze. "Seren, is that... is that you?"

Esta was already quailing beneath this man's gaze, and at this, she moved closer to her brother, huddling against his side out of fear. Keane, who still had no idea what this man was talking about, nevertheless put a protective arm around her shoulders and pulled her in tight.

And out of nowhere, Skyler exploded.

"Hey, you!" he roared, his face stricken, his eyes wild and furious. "Don't you touch her! You get the hell away from my daughter!"

* * *

Author-made cards:

Life Star Burn  
Trap Card  
Destroy all face-up monsters you control, then apply 1 of these effects. ●Gain Life Points equal to the total number of Life Star Counters that were on the destroyed monsters x 300. ●Inflict damage to your opponent equal to the total number of Life Star Counters that were on the destroyed monsters x 300.

* * *

**Fun Fact #15: Oh my...**

**Fun Fact #16: This Duel Puzzle was a lot easier than the last few, so it's no surprise that so many people got it so quickly. Someone suggested going into Bujintei Kagutsuchi rather than Essedarii, because Kagutsuchi can protect itself from destruction. Unfortunately, that wouldn't work, because Cosmic Space is a Continuous Effect, so the moment Kagutsuchi protects itself, it would just try to destroy it again, and again, and again, until it runs out of Overlay Units and gets destroyed anyway. The only way to protect an Xyz Monster is if that monster had a permanent Continuous Effect of its own, like Tiras or Basiltrice (with five Overlay Units).  
**


	6. Chapter 6

Seven sets of eyes widened. That word, the last word Skyler had shouted, echoed in their ears far longer than it should have. There was no more shouting from Skyler after that, but merely a desperate longing and passionate fury etched into every line of his face. A heavy silence enveloped everyone, as Skyler glared at Keane, and Keane and the other kids stared back, absolutely dumbstruck. Only the Stranger seemed unsurprised.

"Did he... did he just say what I think he just said?" James said at last.

"He can't have," Leah breathed. "There's no way..."

"What did you just call her?" Keane called out, his voice carrying more determination than he felt.

"She's my daughter..." Skyler breathed, staring at Esta. "After all this time..."

Still refusing to believe what he was hearing, Keane turned to Esta. "Hey sis, do you know this guy?"

"No..." she shook her head, huddling even closer to Keane.

That was all the proof he needed to hear. Turning back to face Skyler directly, he said loudly and clearly, "Listen sir, I think you're a bit confused right now. My sister's never met you before, and right now, you're scaring her a little. I'd suggest you-"

"Your sister?" Skyler said slowly. "That's... that's nonsense! I never had a son! I only ever had a daughter, and she's standing right there!" He looked back at Esta. "Seren, it's me... it's your daddy... don't you recognise me?"

Keane felt Esta shudder by his side, felt her fingers dig into his arm as she clung to him, and as she did so, he felt himself getting angry. "Ok, whoever you are, you're obviously-"

"You!" Now Skyler was glaring at Keane again. "This is your fault, isn't it?! What did you do to her?! What have you done to my little girl?!"

That did it. Keane immediately flared up, furious that this man would dare insinuate that he'd done anything to hurt Esta. Katie noticed how worked up Keane was getting and, fearing an outburst, quickly whispered, "Keane, don't provoke him. This guy's lethal!" But she was too late.

"Alright, look here pal!" he shouted. "I don't know who you are or who you think my sister is, but you're mistaking her for someone else! Her name is Esta, not Seren! She doesn't know you, she doesn't like you, and she certainly isn't related to you! You hear me? You're wasting your time here, so I suggest you take a hike before I floor you! Understood?"

Skyler understood all right. With a cry of fury, he thrust his robotic hand forward, sending out a stream of red light that snared Keane around the wrist. With a single sharp tug, Keane found himself being dragged forward, yanking him away from Esta.

"Big brother!" Esta cried, starting after him.

"Stay back sis!" Keane called over his shoulder, before finally staggering to a halt, several yards away from the group. Standing up straight, he examined the glowing 'rope' around his wrist, suddenly fearful at what this man was capable of. "What the hell is this thing?"

"It's a Duel Anchor. It won't disappear until a duel between us is complete," Skyler explained in an undertone. With a flick of his finger, the stream of light disappeared, but Keane could still feel it wrapped tightly around his wrist, preventing him from running. "No-one stands in between me and my family, you filthy brat! I don't know what you've done to her, but I won't allow you to keep me from her! I'll beat you into a bloody pulp, and then I'll take her to somewhere I can get her fixed! Somewhere far away from the pulverised, broken husk that will soon be all that's left of you."

"Skyler, leave him alone!" Leah shouted. "Duel me instead! He doesn't have any Numbers – he's of no use to you-"

"You think I give a damn?!" he roared, his bloodthirsty eyes still fixed on Keane. "This piece of scum is keeping my daughter from me – the daughter I never thought I'd see again, the one I've spent the last lonely, agonising year searching for day in, day out! You can't possibly understand pain like that! But he will. Give me a few minutes in a duel with him, and he'll understand my pain all too well..."

"Stay out of this guys," Keane called. "I appreciate your concern, but this is no-one's fight but mine. This man is threatening to take my sister away, so he's going to get a taste of every ounce of power I have." In one swift motion, he triggered his duel disk and readied himself. Skyler did likewise, his face twisted in supressed outrage from what he'd just heard.

Desperate to stop this insane duel, Leah turned to the Stranger. "Can't you do something?" she asked. "Can't you stop this?"

The Stranger, who didn't take her eyes off of the two furious duelists for even a second, shook her head sadly. "No. This duel was always meant to happen one day. I just didn't think it would happen so soon – I was hoping that you'd be long gone before Skyler got here. Still, what will be will be. There's nothing that can stop them now."

"Katie!" Matt said, a thought suddenly occurring to him. "Keane's Numbers! Give them to him!"

"Eh?" Katie said. Then, she realised what he was saying. Number 94 and Number 70, the two Numbers Keane had used in the past – she still had them. And if she could get them to Keane before the duel started, then it would at least give Keane an honest chance against Skyler's armada.

Digging her hand into her Extra Deck, she started to move towards the duel, but the Stranger grabbed her arm to stop her. "Don't," she said, a warning note creeping into her voice. "That would be a very foolish thing to do."

"Why?" Katie said indignantly, yanking her arm away.

"Because if Skyler defeats Keane – and let's face it, there's a very real possibility of that happening – then there's still a chance that he'll leave Keane alone. But if Keane were to Summon a Number against him, that would just force Skyler to extract the Numbers, which, as you know, could prove disastrous."

"But if we do nothing, then Keane _will_ lose!" Katie argued fervently, all too conscious of the augmented reality field that was already rising up around them.

The Stranger looked back over at the field, and a hint of a smile curled her lips. "I wouldn't be so sure of that..."

"You ready, little brat?" Skyler called out.

"Ready to protect my sister? Always!" Keane replied.

_"AR Vision – link established."_

"DUEL!"

**Skyler LP:** 4000

**Keane LP: **4000

**Esta LP: **4000

Keane did a double take. 4000 Life Points for Esta? That couldn't be right. He glanced around for a moment before finally spotting her a few metres away, an equal distance away from both him and Skyler, so that the three of them formed a triangle. And sure enough, there was an active duel disk on her arm.

"Esta, no! What're you doing?" he gasped, suddenly fearful. "This is a duel to keep you out of harm – you can't just get involved in this!"

"Yes I can," Esta replied. "Keane, I know you're just trying to protect me, but right now, you need help more than me. I'm in this duel whether you like it or not."

Skyler watched silently while Keane continued to argue fervently with Esta. He had no such qualms with her joining the duel, as he knew that she was in no danger as long as he was careful not to attack her. Indeed, he was actually quite satisfied with this development – maybe seeing her daddy duel would jog his daughter's memory of him. Maybe it wouldn't. He resolved to focus on that later. He'd have plenty of time after he'd wiped the floor with this maggot that called himself her brother. Her _brother_! Just remembering the word sickened him!

"Very well, then let's begin!" he shouted, drawing their attention. "My turn, draw! First, I Summon **Satellite Geosynchron**!" An armoured satellite appeared, with a set of four solar panels affixed to the top, and streams of pale blue energy running across its surface like tiny rivers.

**Satellite Geosynchron: Machine-Type/LIGHT/Level 3/ATK 0/DEF 0**

It was too late now. The duel had begun, so Keane had no chance of extricating Esta from it now. Reluctantly, he turned to face Skyler and muttered, "Alright, you can stay. But I want you to be _very_ careful. No taking stupid risks, understand?"

"I'll creep like a mouse," she promised.

Skyler gritted his teeth. How could one child have brainwashed his own flesh and blood so thoroughly as to believe such lies? Just who was this boy? Inexplicably, he found his eyes being drawn to the Stranger, the mysterious woman in glasses. Did she have something to do with it? Was it even the boy's fault at all?

He shook his head, firmly pushing such thoughts out of his mind. That was a mystery he could solve later. Right now, this boy was trying to keep Seren from him, and that was something he would not allow. That was something he would never allow! And, in a way, that was something he wished he had allowed while he'd still had the chance...

"I activate the Equip Spell Card, Overlay Satellite! Equip to **Satellite Geosynchron**!" he cried. The Spell Card appeared, and with it, a smaller satellite was launched into the air above the larger one. A spotlight triggered, briefly illuminating the equipped monster, before the small orbiting vessel flew off to one side and projected a hologram of **Satellite Geosynchron** right next to the original. "With this card, when the equipped monster is used as an Xyz Material Monster, I can treat it as two monsters rather than one."

"Keane, Esta, watch out!" Dan called, already realising what Skyler was doing.

"Level three **Satellite Geosynchron**, Overlay!" The satellite, along with its hologram, shot upwards as two separate bolts of bright yellow energy. Where they had been, a galaxy-shaped portal opened. "I use this monster, treated as two monsters, to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" Both streams of energy spiralled down into the depths of the portal, which erupted with light, and sent a gust of wind across the field. "Come forth, **Number 58: Typhoon Tycoon**!"

A bright yellow symbol flared into life on Skyler's left hand, spelling out the number fifty-eight. At the same time, the wind picked up, growing in strength and velocity until it was howling past them. From within the portal, an enormous cyclone rose up, coming up several times the height of Skyler himself, and seemingly filled with swirling green energy. Slowly, the energy atop of vortex began to slow down, clumping together and taking physical shape, until a figure was completely formed, perched atop the tornado. It was an armoured humanoid torso of sorts, which started from the waist up, and ended in a black skull with an electric-green beard and flowing hair that seemed to be made from the same green energy that had originally formed the monster. Its grey armour was covered with intricate carvings that looked like ivy spreading across it, and at its belt was a broadsword and a sickle, both sheathed, but both ready to be drawn at a moment's notice. A single green Overlay Unit circled it, casting its strange lights against the monster's armour, and turning the simple ivy carvings into snakelike things that seemed to writhe and shift as the glowing orb sailed past.

**Number 58: Typhoon Tycoon: Fiend-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 3/ATK 1200/DEF 1700 – 1 OLU**

"A Number this early on..." Matt muttered. "Skyler's not messing around."

"When does he ever?" James replied.

"Due to other effect of Overlay Satellite," Skyler continued, "when an Xyz Monster is Summoned by this method, this card comes back out of my Graveyard and attaches itself to that monster as an Overlay Unit." Sure enough, the mini-satellite flew back onto the field and settled into a stable orbit around the cyclonic Number, before morphing into a green orb of light.

**Number 58: Typhoon Tycoon: 1 **→** 2 OLU**

"The downside being that the Summoned monster can't attack this turn," Skyler said.

"I see... clever," Keane admitted grudgingly.

Confused, Esta turned to face her brother. "Why is that clever, big brother?" she asked. "Now he can't attack."

"He wouldn't be able to attack anyway, since it's the first turn of the duel," Keane explained. "Using that, he's effectively eliminated the only downside of using Overlay Satellite."

The deranged Number Hunter grinned malevolently. "Now you're getting it. My Deck is designed to maximise the strength and flexibility of the Numbers, so you – the little Numberless maggot that you are – have no hope of weathering my army of Numbers for long! I place one card face-down and end my turn."

* * *

Author-made cards:

Satellite Geosynchron  
Machine-Type/LIGHT/Level 3/ATK 0/DEF 0  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle with a Level 4 or lower monster. During each of your End Phases: This card gains 1 Level. If this card battles, its Level is returned to 3, after damage calculation. Once per turn: You can target 1 face-up "Satellite" monster you control; the Levels of all face-up Machine-Type monsters you currently control become the same as that target's Level, until the End Phase.

* * *

**Fun Fact #17: Overlay Satellite, a card which facilitates Xyz Summoning, a card that was used to assist in the Summoning of a Number in the anime, a card that happens to be a part of the Satellite archetype that Skyler uses... it's like that card was just made for Skyler.**

**Fun Fact #18: No, you can't see Number 58's effects yet. You should know better than that.**

**Fun Fact #19: We're totally calling it now. At some point, Tron is going to make a return to the series and duel one of the Barian Lords, using Argent Chaos Force to make Chaos Number 69 again (and maybe Chaos Number 8 if we're lucky). It'll probably be against either Vector or Durbe. We're hoping and praying for Durbe, mostly because up to now, Durbe's duels have been totally meaningless, largely because the writers have always gone "let's give everyone else a meaningful opponent to duel (Misael vs Anna vs Robin notwithstanding) and just stick Durbe with whoever's left over". Maybe by dueling Tron (and by extension it being revealed that Durbe was the one who 'converted' Tron) we can have a duel involving Durbe that actually has some meaning behind it, rather than the leftovers approach we've been getting up to now.  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Skyler LP: **4000

**Number 58: Typhoon Tycoon: Fiend-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 3/ATK 1200/DEF 1700 – 2 OLU**

Spell & Trap Card Zone: 1 set card

**Keane LP:** 4000

**Esta LP: **4000

"My turn, draw!" Keane got started right away. Glancing over his cards, he was pleased to see Rescue Rabbit already in his hand. He didn't need it right now, but it was good to know it was there for next turn, when he would be able to attack. "I'll just set one monster in Defence Position. Turn end." His face-down card appeared.

James frowned. "That's unusual for Keane," he said quietly to his teammates. "It's not like him to play so defensively."

"No, but given the circumstances, I wouldn't expect him to play any different," Matt replied. "He's dueling to protect his sister from a mysterious angry man with strange powers, and who can throw Numbers out on the first turn. I think I'd play defensive too."

"True," James nodded. Matt was right, of course. Keane had been unnerved by Skyler's abilities, as well how quickly he had churned out a Number. Thus, he was playing very cautiously.

Esta, meanwhile, who was just about to begin her own turn, had absolutely no worries about holding back. Her brother was in danger, and she was going to do everything she could to help him. To hell with the risks – his obligation to protect her worked both ways, and she wasn't about to let him down.

"My turn, draw. I Special Summon Constellar Siat!" A large white jar appeared, with the Constellar's symbol – a gold circle with a cross through it – printed onto the side. It was accompanied by a small, pixie-like creature with white armour, and a white hood with orange trim covering its face.

Constellar Siat: Fairy-Type/LIGHT/Level 1/ATK 100/DEF 1600

"If I don't control any monsters but my opponent controls at least one, I can Special Summon this card from my hand," she said. "Next, I Normal Summon **Constellar Lyra**!" This Spellcaster was dressed as a knight with white-gold armour, and an iridescent blade clutched in its left hand. The Constellar's crest was visible on her stomach, just as it had been on Siat's jar.

**Constellar Lyra: Spellcaster-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1900/DEF 1000**

Keane watched her move with growing apprehension. _'For goodness sake, whatever she Summons, please let it be something defensive,' _he implored internally. _'Please don't be reckless, Esta…'_

"Now I activate the effect of Constellar Siat!" she went on. "Once per turn, I can choose any monster with the word Constellar in its name on my field or in my Graveyard, and then Siat will change its Level to become the same as the Level of the monster I chose. I'll go with **Constellar Lyra**; a Level four monster!"

Constellar Siat: Level 1 → 4

"Level four Siat and Lyra, Overlay!" At her command, the two star knights morphed into yellow amorphous masses, then shot up into the sky. Where they had been, a red circular portal opened up. "I use these two LIGHT-Attribute monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The two Xyz Material Monsters spiralled down into the portal, which then upended itself, so it was now standing up directly in front of Esta. "Come on out, Constellar Omega!" A centaur-like creature galloped out of the portal. It was coloured a magnificent white and gold, with black protrusions that resembled wings coming from its back. The Constellar's Xyz crest - a golden circle with eight points, and a smaller copy of itself within - was sparkling on its chest. Two yellow Overlay Units orbited it.

Constellar Omega: Beast-Warrior-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2400/DEF 500 – 2 OLU

At this, Keane breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that she would Summon Constellar Praesepe which, while powerful, came with absolutely no protection from card effects. At least Omega would give her some defence against Spell and Trap effects, while its bulky 2400 ATK would be enough to shield her from most attacks.

"Battle!" The sudden command snapped him out of his reverie. "Constellar Omega, attack the Number monster!" Esta pointed straight at the cyclonic Number, waiting for the centaur to charge past her and annihilate it. Nothing happened. Puzzled, she glanced behind her to see Omega still standing there, exhibiting a profound lack of movement.

"Um... Esta, you can't attack yet," Keane said. "It's still the first turn."

"But I'm the last player," Esta replied, looking back at her brother. "Doesn't that mean I get to attack first?"

"Well, normally-" Keane started to say, but a sudden realisation stopped him in his tracks. "Esta... have you ever actually been in a Battle Royal duel?"

"Um... no."

"I see..." Now Keane was really worried. It was bad enough that Esta had forced her way into a duel with this deranged man, but to find out that she didn't even know the rules of the game she was playing – this was bad. "Esta, in a Battle Royal duel, no players are allowed to attack until every single duelist has had at least one full turn."

"Oh..." Esta hung her head, abashed. "Well... um... I guess I end my turn then."

Skyler clenched his fist furiously. "How sickening! She was a wonderful little duelist before I lost her," he growled. "Now look at her! You weren't satisfied with just wiping out the memories of her family? You had to take away the game she loved so much as well?!"

"She still loves dueling," Keane replied hotly. "And I keep telling you, I had nothing to do with what happened to her. You, on the other hand, clearly did!" His indignant gaze turned into a full-blown glare. "If anything, I should be angry with you! I should be the one trying to beat you to a pulp."

"Just try it! See where it gets you!" Skyler spat. "My turn, draw! Go, Number 58, attack his face-down monster now!" Behind him, the blustering fiend whipped out both of its blades and held them at its side expectantly. In response, Keane's face-down monster flipped face-up, revealing a regal warrior dressed in old fashioned, fur-lined armour.

Noble Knight Artorigus: Warrior-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 1800

"Bad move!" Keane shouted over the howling wind. "Since the DEF or Artorigus is higher than your monster's ATK, you take the difference as damage! Maybe you should have been more careful attacking with such a weak monster!"

"Don't think for a second that you're in any position to give me dueling advice, you little brat!" Skyler retorted. "Before damage calculation, I activate Number 58's effect! By detaching one of its Overlay Units, I can double the ATK of one face-up WIND monster I control, until the End Phase! I'll have it target itself!" One of the green orbs was swept up by the mighty cyclone, before being absorbed into the monster's broadsword.

**Number 58: Typhoon Tycoon: 2 **→** 1 OLU**

**Number 58: Typhoon Tycoon: ATK 1200 **→** 2400**

Then, without warning, the Number – typhoon and all – surged across the field and straight into Keane's monster, sweeping it up into the air. As the warrior flailed about helplessly in the clutches of the vicious winds, the Number itself suddenly blindsided, cleaving it in two with a single swipe.

Keane was pushed back by the force of the gale, but remained otherwise unharmed, and really rather thankful that he'd chosen the defensive option. Battle Damage from a monster like this could be seriously lethal.

"With that, I end my turn," Skyler said, the Number returning to his field looking rather pleased with itself.

**Number 58: Typhoon Tycoon: ATK 2400 **→** 1200**

"My turn, draw!" Now that he knew its effect, Keane was less reserved about attacking, and thus dived straight into action. "I Normal Summon Rescue Rabbit!" The fluffy bunny in a hardhat hopped onto his field.

Rescue Rabbit: Beast-Type/EARTH/Level 4/ATK 300/DEF 100

"Next I'll use its effect!" he went on. "By banishing it, I can Special Summon two copies of the same Level four or lower Normal Monster from my Deck. I select **Kagutsuchi**!" The rabbit faded away, to be replaced by two monsters that closely resembled minotaurs, but instead of a bull's head, their heads seemed closer to that of a wildebeest. A series of long, perfectly straight scars stretched across and around their bodies, neatly separating each monster into eight segments. The scars weren't normal either – they seemed to glow orange and red, as though streams of lava were flowing just beneath the creature's skin.

**Kagutsuchi: Beast-Warrior-Type/FIRE/Level 4/ATK 1850/DEF 800**

**Kagutsuchi: Beast-Warrior-Type/FIRE/Level 4/ATK 1850/DEF 800**

"Then I activate the Spell Card, Silent Doom, which lets me revive any Normal Monster from my Graveyard in Defence Position!" Keane held the card aloft. "Be reborn, Noble Knight Artorigus!" The medieval warrior appeared once again.

Noble Knight Artorigus: Warrior-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 1800

"Get ready Skyler!" Keane shouted. "I'm coming for you! Level four **Kagutsuchi** and Artorigus, Overlay!" Both monsters turned fully red and yellow respectively, then blazed upwards, away from a red spiral portal that opened up next to the remaining **Kagutsuchi**. "I use these two monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The two Material Monsters spiralled down into the portal, which exploded, spewing light particles in all directions. "Appear, Diamond Dire Wolf!" From out of the explosion, a massive blue wolf bounded onto the field. It stood as tall as Omega, and had skin constructed entirely out of pale blue diamonds. Several large diamond spikes protruded from its shoulders and elbows, and its legs were protected by blue armour with red outlines. Two orange Overlay Units encircled it.

Diamond Dire Wolf: Beast-Type/Xyz/EARTH/Rank 4/ATK 2000/DEF 1200 – 2 OLU

Skyler glared at the wolf with contempt. "Pathetic. You won't beat me down with such weak Xyz Monsters," he growled.

"Won't I?" Keane retorted. "I activate Dire Wolf's effect! Once per turn, by detaching one of its Overlay Units, I can target and destroy one face-up Beast, Beast-Warrior, or Winged Beast-Type monster I control, as well as one card my opponent controls!" The wolf snapped up single orange orb of light.

Diamond Dire Wolf: 2 → 1 OLU

"I target the remaining **Kagutsuchi** on my field, and **Number 58: Typhoon Tycoon** on yours!" he declared. "Since **Kagutsuchi** will be destroyed by Rescue Rabbit's effect during the End Phase anyway, I'm not losing anything valuable. You, on the other hand, will be losing your Number!"

"Never take my strategies for granted, boy!" Skyler shouted back. "I activate Number 58's effect! By detaching its last Overlay Unit, I can double its ATK until the End Phase of this turn!" Once again, the Number's green orb of light was swept up by the wind currents, into range of the fiend's sickle. With a quick slash, the orb was sliced in half, and its residue was absorbed into the monster.

**Number 58: Typhoon Tycoon: 1 **→** 0 OLU**

**Number 58: Typhoon Tycoon: ATK 1200 **→** 2400**

"Eh?!" Esta gasped, watching this move with confusion. "Why'd he do that?"

"I don't know..." Keane replied, starting to think he'd been tricked. "In any case, the effect of Dire Wolf resolves anyway, destroying your monster!" With a strange, echoing howl, the canid released a barrage of incredibly sharp crystals. A few broke off in one direction and skewered **Kagutsuchi** in the deadly rain, destroying it on the spot. The rest shot upwards, straight through the wall of wind and pierced the body of Skyler's Number. The gale-raising fiend gave a single, agonised cry before exploding, knocking Skyler back from the force of it.

"Yes!" James shouted from the sidelines. "Nice one! He took down that Number without breaking a sweat! Now he..." His voice trailed off as he realised that none of his teammates were sharing in his joy, but were still solemnly watching the duel. "What's the matter?" he asked. "This is good, isn't it?"

"No... something's wrong," Matt muttered. "Why would Skyler activate the effect of Number 58 like that when it couldn't possibly help him?"

"Desperation?" James suggested.

"Skyler's not one to make desperate plays like that," Dan replied. "He's very much a no-nonsense duelist, so he wouldn't waste time on a pointless effect activation. No, there must be a reason for it."

And sure enough, mere seconds later:

"I activate the second effect of Number 58!" Skyler shouted. "When this card is destroyed and sent to my Graveyard while it has no Overlay Units attached to it, this effect allows me to Special Summon any Rank 4 or lower WIND monster from my Extra Deck straight to the field!"

"What?" Keane gasped.

Skyler grinned; possibly the first time he had done so during the entire duel. "You people are so predictable. When faced with a Number that can double its own ATK as it pleases, and which can only be destroyed by others of its kind, I knew you'd try and destroy it with an effect instead. Thus, all I had to do was get it to a point where I could easily reduce its Overlay Units to zero, and you would do the rest for me!"

"So it was a trap after all..." Leah said worriedly.

"If this is another Number, Keane and Esta are in trouble," Matt said.

He didn't have to wait long to find out. No sooner had he finished talking when a galaxy-style portal opened up on Skyler's field – the exact sort that Numbers used for Xyz Summons. Then, without any Xyz Material Monsters entering it, the portal exploded violently. "Appear!" Skyler shouted. "**Number 79: Mach Transer**!"

The bright green number seventy-nine etched itself onto Skyler's hand, in the exact spot that Typhoon Tycoon's symbol had taken up moments before. From within the residue of the explosion, a large metal construct rose out, coloured a polished grey, and supported on either side by two jets. Slowly, the sealed form unlocked itself, the metal plating folding back on itself to form the streamlined shape of a robot. It looked like some strange cross between a humanoid robot and a fighter jet. It was a bipedal construct, with grey metal plating covering its entire body, save for two black hands that protruded from its thin arms, one of which held a metal blade of some kind. Two large jets – each almost as large as the monster itself - were integrated into its shoulders, while a third even bigger one sat in the centre, where the monster's neck should be. From the top of this jet, a metallic, serpentine head poked out, analysing the field with its flashing yellow eyes.

**Number 79: Mach Transer: Machine-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 3/ATK 1900/DEF 1200 – 0 OLU**

* * *

Author-made cards:

Constellar Lyra  
Spellcaster-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1900/DEF 1000  
_A warrior descended from the stars, she answers prayers with the swing of her blade._

Kagutsuchi  
Beast-Warrior-Type/FIRE/Level 4/ATK 1850/DEF 800  
_The lord of the calderas themselves. It is said that when he falls, eight volcanoes will simultaneously erupt and bring untold misery to the world._

Number 58: Typhoon Tycoon  
Fiend-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 3/ATK 1200/DEF 1700  
2 Level 3 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. During either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target 1 face-up WIND monster you control; double that target's ATK, until the End Phase. You can only use this effect of "Number 58: Typhoon Tycoon" once per turn. When this card is destroyed (either by battle or by card effect) while it has no Overlay Units attached to it: You can Special Summon 1 Rank 4 or lower WIND Xyz Monster from your Extra Deck.

* * *

**Fun Fact #20: Typhoon Tycoon was designed around the Gusto archetype as much as possible, including the effect to boost WIND monster's ATK, and the searching effect when destroyed. Its effect seems powerful, but currently all it can get you is a beatstick (Blade Armour Ninja) or a wall (Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon). The initial effect we came up with allowed it to Summon a WIND monster of any Rank, which was actually fine... until Skypalace Babylon came out.**

**Fun Fact #21: I actually half wish we'd left the effect as it was. WIND monsters have been so neglected and hated on by Konami, it seems only fair that they get some more powerful support besides Chidori.**

**Fun Fact #22: I've gone on record saying that Rank-Up cards need a serious power boost if they're to be relevant in today's meta, and while the Number 101 and Chaos Number 101 are brilliant steps in the right direction, I'm not sure that making the Rank-Up strategy entirely broken is the right way to go about it. Chaos Number 69, I'm looking at you...**


	8. Chapter 8

**Skyler LP:** 4000

**Number 79: Mach Transer: Machine-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 3/ATK 1900/DEF 1200 – 0 OLU**

Spell & Trap Card Zone: 1 set card

**Keane LP:** 4000

Diamond Dire Wolf: Beast-Type/Xyz/EARTH/Rank 4/ATK 2000/DEF 1200 – 1 OLU

**Esta LP:** 4000

Constellar Omega: Beast-Warrior-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2400/DEF 500 – 2 OLU

"Another Rank 3 Number..." Leah muttered. "Weird... this isn't like Skyler at all."

"What do you mean?" James asked, confused. "Spamming the field with one Number after another, getting angry at people who are in his way; this is exactly like Skyler."

Leah shook her head. "No it isn't. Think back – the Skyler we know hated using weak Numbers. He used them against Dan when we first met in order to test us, again against Lithon to fuel Tesseract Dragon, and against me and Matt to mess with our heads, but past that, he's been obsessed with strong Numbers, to the exclusion of the weak ones. Why change his strategy now?"

"Hey!" Dan said indignantly. "Are you calling my Number weak?"

"Do you mean weak relative to Skyler's Numbers, or weak relative to my Number?" Leah asked cheekily. "Because either way, yep!"

The Stranger smirked slightly, amused by the kids' antics. Dan folded his arms and grumbled under his breath.

"Anyway, it's a good point," Matt said. "Do you think he's using them as a means to an end again?"

"I don't know," Leah replied. "Maybe he thinks that he doesn't need strong Numbers to defeat Keane, since he has no Numbers."

"I doubt that," Matt said quietly. "It's plausible, but I would imagine that someone in Skyler's state of mind right now would want to use every ounce of his power to pulverize Keane. He wouldn't be reserved about using strong Numbers – in fact, I imagine that he'd be all the more eager to use them."

"Maybe he's ditched his ideals," James suggested. "Maybe he's just accepted the fact that he needs all his Numbers – weak and strong – to have a chance of matching his enemies' strength."

"James, that's a silly idea," Katie said. "Skyler isn't one to just drop his ideals so easily."

Matt shook his head. "James' stupid idea aside, I think we should just be glad that Skyler's only using weak Numbers. It'll make Keane and Esta's lives much easier."

Keane evidently thought so too. He didn't look as worried as he had when the duel began. Maybe being able to destroy a Number without using one himself had listed his trepidation of them somewhat. "I place one card face-down. Turn end." His set card appeared directly behind Dire Wolf.

"My turn, draw!" Esta began, grinning when she saw the card she'd drawn. "I activate Fire Formation – Tenki, which lets me add any Level four or lower Beast-Warrior-Type monster from my Deck to my hand. I'll add Constellar Kaus to my hand." She extracted the card from her Deck and placed it in her hand. At the same time, Omega was enveloped with a faint burning aura.

Constellar Omega: ATK 2400 → 2500

"Now I Summon Constellar Leonis!" A smaller star warrior appeared, with a blue cape draped over its shoulders, bright blue hair, and glowing blue protrusions sprouting from its fingertips like claws. The Constellar's symbol was printed onto its chest and each of its shoulder pads.

Constellar Leonis: Beast-Type/LIGHT/Level 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1800

"Now I'll use Constellar Leonis' effect," she went on, really starting to get into her stride. "Once per turn, this effect lets me make another Normal Summon, but it must be for a Constellar monster. I Summon Constellar Kaus!" A brilliant white-armoured centaur appeared, with a sturdy golden bow balanced on its shoulder. The Constellar's golden crest was imprinted onto its navel, and the monster itself seemed to be giving off a pale turquoise glow.

Constellar Kaus: Beast-Warrior-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 700

Constellar Kaus: ATK 1800 → 1900

"Next I'll use Kaus' effect! This lets me increase or decrease the Level of a Constellar monster I control by one. I'll give an extra Level to Leonis!" One of the two blue orbs in Kaus' longbow lit up, then sent a stream of pale blue energy at the star knight standing next to it, upping its Level.

Constellar Leonis: Level 3 → 4

"Level four Kaus and Leonis, Overlay!" The two star knights morphed into yellow amorphous masses before spiralling into the air. Where they had been, a circular red portal materialised. "I use these two Constellar monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" Both bolts of energy sailed down into the portal, which erupted like a volcano of pure light. "Come on out, Constellar Praesepe!" With a faint buzzing sound, a large, mechanized warrior took to the field, adorned in hefty golden chunks of armour. Like Omega, the Constellar's Xyz crest was printed onto its chest plate. Strangely, its two Overlay Units weren't quite the same as the Overlay Units of Omega. They were still yellow orbs of light, but sealed inside each of them was a tiny metal bee, made from the same polished gold as its armour.

Constellar Praesepe: Machine-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2400/DEF 800 – 2 OLU

Skyler stared at her field, his eyes wide. "This style..." he breathed. "This reckless way of dueling, her prodigious strength even as a beginner... she's definitely my daughter. No question."

'_This is good,' _Keane observed. _'Now she has Omega and Praesepe, which can protect her from most attacks as well as all Spell and Trap effects. Now as long as she doesn't enter battle, she-'_

"Battle!" Esta shouted, cutting off his thoughts. "Praesepe, attack his Mach Transer!"

"Um, Esta-" Keane began, but he was too slow. The armoured warrior pointed a single finger at the Number, and in response, a huge swarm of golden bees materialised out of thin air and rushed at it, each smashing into the jet at a huge speed. However, they failed to leave so much as a dent.

"Huh? What's wrong now?" Esta said, as the swarm of bees dissipated, having failed to destroy their target. "Big bro, why didn't that work? Monsters with higher ATK than an enemy monster's DEF are supposed to win battles, right?"

"No no, that's absolutely right Esta," Keane said, desperately trying not to hurt her morale at such a crucial time. "The problem is, Numbers can only be destroyed in battle by other Numbers."

"Oh..." she said sadly. Then a thought struck her. "Wait, I don't have any Number monsters."

"Neither do I, but I still managed to destroy one," Keane pointed out, smiling reassuringly. "They're still vulnerable to card effects, Esta. That's their weakness."

A look of surprise spread across the young girl's face, followed swiftly by a wicked grin. "Gotcha," she said, before turning her attention back to her monsters. She reached a hand into her Extra Deck container and pulled out a single card, which she placed on her duel disk. In response, a bright yellow portal opened up directly beneath Omega. "Here we go! I use Constellar Omega to reconstruct the Overlay Network! Xyz Change!" The centaur descended down into the swirling depths, and an explosion of pure light burst from the portal. "Come on out, Constellar Ptolemy M7!" The mechanical star dragon arose from the portal, spreading its blue wings wide and showering the field with stardust. Three yellow orbs of light traced circles around it.

Constellar Ptolemy M7: Machine-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 6/ATK 2700/DEF 2000 – 3 OLU

"Nice!" Keane grinned. Despite his trepidation at her sacrificing Omega's protection, he was actually impressed by her quick thinking. With the effect of M7, she could rid the field of a Number every single turn for her next three turns.

Esta beamed back at him, then returned her gaze to Skyler. "I can't activate M7's effect during the turn I Summon him using an Xyz Change, so I end my turn."

"Seren..." Skyler muttered, staring at the girl with an infinite sadness. "Don't worry, I swear I'll find a way to reverse what was done to you. My turn, draw! First I switch Number 79 from Defence Position to Attack Position!" The robotic Number spread its arms slightly, and gave a short burst of its jets. "Then I Summon Tin-" Suddenly, he was cut off mid-sentence by an impatient voice in his head.

_"Enough of this foolishness!' _the voice spoke. _'Summon me, for goodness sake! Stop messing around with these weak Numbers and claim the prize you're so desperate for!"_

_'No way,' _Skyler thought, shaking his head. _'Not happening.'_

_"Why not?!" _the voice replied in exasperation. _"What possible reason could you have for withholding me this time? My strength is unparalleled! I could clinch this duel for you in an instant, and tear this insolent child limb from limb if you desire."_

_'That's just the point,' _Skyler replied angrily. _'Yes I want this boy beaten to a bloody pulp, but if I Summon you I could blow up half the city. I want to defeat this kid, but I won't hurt my daughter to do so.'_

The demonic voice grumbled angrily, mulling this over for a few seconds. _"Have it your way then,"_ it replied finally, realising that it could not sway Skyler on this. _"Let us be 'safe' about this."_

Skyler nodded, before returning his attention to the duel. "I Normal Summon Tin Goldfish!" A bizarre flat red fish, made entirely out of metal and sporting big bobbly eyes, appeared on his field.

Tin Goldfish: Machine-Type/WATER/Level 4/ATK 800/DEF 2000

"Next I'll use its effect," Skyler declared. "When I Normal Summon it, I can Special Summon any Level four monster from my hand. So appear, Dark Catapulter." A new, vaguely dragonic creature appeared, with a large charging station on its back that could be used to fire energy projectiles.

Dark Catapulter: Machine-Type/EARTH/Level 4/ATK 1000/DEF 1500

"Then I activate the Spell Card, Quick Star Level 3! If I control two or more monsters with the same Level, this card grants all of those monsters an extra three Levels. Dark Catapulter and Tin Goldfish share a Level, so both of them are raised from Level four monsters to Level seven monsters!"

Tin Goldfish: Level 4 → 7

Dark Catapulter: Level 4 → 7

"Two Level seven monsters," Keane muttered, his nerves returning en masse. "Don't tell me..."

"Level seven Tin Goldfish and Dark Catapulter, Overlay!" Both monsters morphed into blue and orange amorphous masses of energy, and shot upwards. Where they had sat, a galaxy portal opened. "I use these two monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The two monsters flew into the portal, which exploded, releasing a huge column of seawater into the air. "Come forth, **Number 21: Marine Emperor Drakaio**!"

The murky green symbol for twenty-one blazed into life on top of his left shoulder as the pillar of water grew in size, rising high above the nearest buildings. Then, with a warbling screech, a giant sea creature burst out of the torrent and coiled protectively around Skyler, glaring across the field with glowing turquoise eyes. It was unmistakably a leviathan – a mythical sea serpent – with dragon-like wings and a dorsal fin that extended unevenly down the length of its entire body. Its scales were a glistening blue colour, aside from its underbelly, where the blue scales gave way to smooth skin, coloured a deep orange. Two blue Overlay Units orbited it, reflecting beautifully against the sea serpent's slimy hide.

**Number 21: Marine Emperor Drakaio: Sea Serpent-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 7/ATK 2700/DEF 1200 – 2 OLU**

_'Just how many Numbers does this guy have?!'_ Keane thought to himself. _'It's like a never-ending stream.'_

"Then I activate the Spell Card, Xyz Treasure!" The Spell materialised on Skyler's field. "With this, I can draw one card for each Xyz Monster that's face-up on the field. There are five, so I draw five cards!" With his hand shaking in anticipation, Skyler drew himself an entire new hand. "I won't go as far as using my original Number, but beyond that, I don't care how many Numbers it takes," he growled. "I don't care how much power I'm forced to use against you. I refuse to let you stand between me and her. I refuse to go another year – another _day_ – without being able to hold my daughter in my arms again! Battle! Number 21, attack Diamond Dire Wolf!" The great sea serpent drew back its head and unleashed a torrent of water at Keane's field, which consumed his monster in a second. Keane himself was blasted back by the extreme pressure of the deluge, landing heavily a few feet away, badly winded and soaked to the bone.

**Keane LP:** 4000 → 3300

"Big brother!" Esta cried in horror.

"We're not done here!" Skyler declared. "Number 79, attack him directly!" The fighter jet-esque robot launched itself at the downed boy.

Keane, hearing this command, struggled upright and desperately triggered his set card. "Trap Card, open! Soul Resurrection!" The Trap Card activated as Keane forced himself back to his feet. "This card revives any Normal Monster from my Graveyard in Defence Position. Be revived, Noble Knight Artorigus!" The medieval knight reappeared, taking up a defensive stance.

Noble Knight Artorigus: Warrior-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 1800

"Well, I wasted my set card on that move," Keane said. "But at least I kept my Life Points safe."

"How naïve," Skyler replied. "You clearly aren't aware of Number 79's effect, are you?"

"It's hard to know the effect of a card you've never seen before," Keane retorted.

Skyler smirked at the boy's lack of thinking. "Due to the effect of Number 79, it can wage direct attacks, regardless of monsters you control." Giving Keane no time to take in the horror of this statement, Skyler called out, "Go, Number 79, continue your direct attack!" With a burst of flame, Mach Transer suddenly ignited its jets, sending it soaring over Artorigus. It performed a somersault in the air before rushing down towards Keane and slamming a fist straight into him, sending him sprawling once again.

**Keane LP:** 3300 → 1400

* * *

Author-made cards:

Number 79: Mach Transer  
Machine-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 3/ATK 1900/DEF 1200  
2 Level 3 Machine-Type monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. This card can attack your opponent directly. Once per turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target 1 face-up monster you control; if that monster attacks this turn, your opponent cannot activate any Spell/Trap Cards until the end of the Damage Step.

Number 21: Marine Emperor Drakaio  
Sea Serpent-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 7/ATK 2700/DEF 1200  
2 Level 7 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn, during either player's Battle Phase: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; destroy all other monsters on the field. You must control at least 1 face-up "Umi" to activate and resolve this effect.

* * *

**Fun Fact #23: A lot of people apparently thought that Mach Transer and Typhoon Tycoon were like the Anomaly monsters, in that they continuously cycle through each other as well as other monsters. Sorry, no Anomaly analogues today. Typhoon Tycoon was based on the Gustos, so he's the only one who gets such an effect.**

**Fun Fact #24: How beautifully ironic that the 'stupid' idea James came up with was actually the closest to the truth. Just like how James was the only one who thought that Durbe was anything out of the ordinary when they first met him. I wonder how he knew that... and why Gilag showed such interest in him when they met after fighting the Dragon Sages... *GASP* James is a Barian Lord! That's the only explanation!**

**Fun Fact #25: Well, it's official, Silent Honours Dark Knight has replaced Thousand-Eyes Restrict as the Omnomnom Overlord.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Skyler LP:** 4000

**Number 79: Mach Transer: Machine-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 3/ATK 1900/DEF 1200 – 0 OLU**

**Number 21: Marine Emperor Drakaio: Sea Serpent-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 7/ATK 2700/DEF 1200 – 2 OLU**

Spell & Trap Card Zone: 1 set card

**Keane LP:** 1400

Noble Knight Artorigus: Warrior-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 1800

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Soul Resurrection [targeting Noble Knight Artorigus]

**Esta LP:** 4000

Constellar Ptolemy M7: Machine-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 6/ATK 2700/DEF 2000 – 3 OLU

Constellar Praesepe: Machine-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2400/DEF 800 – 2 OLU

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Fire Formation – Tenki

"Pitiful..." Skyler said contemptuously, glaring at his downed opponent. "The mere idea that you thought you could stand between me and Seren is laughable. I place one card face-down and end my turn." His set card appeared as Mach Transer returned to his field.

"Keane, are you ok?" Katie called from the sidelines. "Can you stand?"

With an effort, Keane pushed himself back onto his feet, holding his left arm awkwardly. "I'll live," he replied. "I've fought plenty of Numbers – this is nothing."

"Maybe they should surrender," James said suddenly.

The other Deltas, Keane, Esta, Skyler, and even the Stranger turned to look at him in shock. "What did you say?" Leah asked slowly.

"Just hear me out," James said. "If both of them just surrendered the duel right now, we could all run for it. If we run back to our apartment, we'll be safe. Skyler wouldn't dare go into the Professor's building."

"You think I'd let this brat get away that easily?" Skyler growled, his gazed fixed on Keane once again. "You can run, little worm, but I'll find you. You'll never escape me."

"Sorry James, not gonna happen," Keane replied. "If I were to back out of this duel now, what would that prove? I'll tell you – it would show everyone that I'm not willing to go the extra mile to protect Esta. It would show everyone that I'd rather take the easy way out and flee than take a stand, and fight to keep her safe. Giving up this duel means giving up on her, and I'm not about to do that. Not ever!"

Off on the sidelines, the Stranger nodded, pleased that both Keane and Esta seemed to be upholding their ideals so well. Turning to Skyler, she called out: "Just think, Skyler. Under different circumstances, you may have come to like Keane. He clearly cares deeply for Esta-"

"Shut up!" Skyler snapped. "And stop calling her Esta! That's a fake name made up a kidnapper!" Esta cringed at the note of ferocity in the man's voice. "Now come, make your move!"

Keane supressed a retort, and instead looked over his hand, trying to decide his next course of action. _'I need a LIGHT monster,' _he decided. _'That way I can make Paladynamo and destroy one of those Numbers.' _"My turn, draw!" His eyes lit up the moment he turned his drawn card over. _'Double Check… even better than a LIGHT monster!' _He stored the card in his hand before plucking out a different one. "I Summon Warrior of Zera!" A muscular, tanned warrior appeared. It had green gauntlets and helmet, green shoulder pads half-covering a bare chest, and a red scarf draped around its neck. By its side was a demonic-looking sword.

Warrior of Zera: Warrior-Type/EARTH/Level 4/ATK 1600/DEF 1600

"Level four Artorigus and Zera, Overlay!" The two different warriors morphed into energy signatures, coloured yellow and orange respectively, before darting up into the air, clearing the way for another red circular portal to open up beneath them. "I use these two Warrior-Type monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The two monsters spiralled down into the portal, which exploded with light. "Appear! Heroic Champion – Excalibur!" From within the depths of the portal, a red-armoured warrior emerged with a mighty battle cry. Its armour sported sharp, streamlined shoulder spikes, solid chest and leg guards, and a helmet with a yellow cross affixed to the forehead. Two yellow Overlay Units traced circles around the proud knight.

Heroic Champion – Excalibur: Warrior-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2000/DEF 2000 – 2 OLU

"Now I activate Excalibur's effect! By detaching two of its Overlay Units, I can double its original ATK until the end of my opponent's next turn." The regal warrior raised its sword to the sky, and one after the other, both yellow orbs of light were absorbed into the blade, coating the wielder in a mystical light.

Heroic Champion – Excalibur: 2 → 0 OLU

Heroic Champion – Excalibur: ATK 2000 → 4000

"Battle! Excalibur, attack Mach Transer!" With a cry, the almighty warrior charged across the field and took a single, massive swing at the mechanical Number. Mach Transer, being a Number, simply allowed the sword to skitter across its armour plating. Skyler, on the other hand, staggered back under the force of an invisible shockwave that assailed his body.

**Skyler LP:** 4000 → 1900

"We're not done!" Keane yelled, activating a card from his hand. "Quick-Play Spell, Double Check, activate! When a monster I control attacks one of your monsters, and your monster is still on the field at the end of the battle, I can use this card to destroy that monster!"

"Clever," Matt observed. "He used the effects of the Numbers to his advantage."

"He did?" James said, confused. "How'd he do that?"

"Numbers can only be destroyed by other Numbers," Matt explained. "Which puts Keane at a disadvantage against Number holders since he doesn't have one. However, with Double Check, he can attack Numbers normally and then use that card to destroy them."

"Oh..." James said. "Yeah, that is pretty clever."

"Very clever," Katie agreed. "He must've known he'd be fighting Numbers in the future, so he modified his Deck to be better at dealing with them."

"Do it, Keane!" Esta cheered.

Keane nodded. "Alright, with the effect of Double Check, I destroy Mach Transer-"

"Not a chance!" Skyler interrupted. "I activate the Counter Trap, Assault Cyclone! This card negates any Spell or Trap Card that is activated during a battle, and destroys it" A vicious cyclone suddenly formed itself around the Double Check card, destroying it.

"Damn..." Keane muttered.

"Double Check activates at the end of the Damage Step," Skyler explained. "However, the end of the Damage Step is still _within_ the Damage Step, which puts that card's activation window inside the realms of a battle, so my Assault Cyclone can negate it."

"I'm aware!" Keane snapped, irritated that his big move had failed. _'Oh well,' _he thought, glancing at another card in his hand. _'At least I still have this…' _"I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"My turn then, I draw!" Esta began earnestly. "I activate Constellar Ptolemy M7's effect! Once per turn, by detaching one of its Overlay Units, I can choose any monster on the field or in any player's Graveyard and return it to its owner's hand." The mechanical dragon reached out and snapped one of its Overlay Units out of the air.

Constellar Ptolemy M7: 3 → 2 OLU

Before selecting her target, she quickly turned to consult with Keane. "Is there anything in your Graveyard you'd like back, big bro?" she asked.

Keane shook his head. "Nah, I'm ok. Just focus on the Numbers for now."

"Gotcha!" Esta grinned, turning back to face Skyler. "With this effect, I return Drakaio to your Extra Deck!" A shimmering pulse of light, laced with stardust, emanated from M7's enormous blue wings and suffused Drakaio, causing it to fade into oblivion. Its two blue Overlay Units dissipated in mid-air. "And now... battle!"

Skyler's eyes widened in shock. "Seren, what are you doing?" he asked. "If you attack me, I'll lose. I won't be able to help you!"

"I never asked for your help!" Esta replied. "I don't know you, and I don't want to know you! Keane always told me to be careful around strangers, and now I see why. They're weird and they're scary."

The Stranger averted her gaze.

"Y- you can't mean that," Skyler said pitiably. "You can't honestly view me as nothing more than a stranger... I'm your father..."

"No you're not!" Esta screamed, desperately trying to shut out the man's pleas. "Battle! M7, attack Mach Transer now!" The star dragon drew back its head and began absorbing light energy into a sphere in its mouth, ready to launch it across the field.

Skyler turned his glare back on Keane, and an intense surge of hatred briefly clouded his judgement. All self-restraint momentarily abandoned, he shouted: "I activate the Trap Card, Power Analyse!" His face-down card flipped up. "With this, I can change the ATK of one Machine-Type monster I control to equal the ATK of any face-up monster my opponent controls!" His eyes narrowed, his face filled with rage. "I choose Heroic Champion – Excali-"

Suddenly he froze, stopping himself mid-sentence. A vein throbbed on the side of his neck, and his fist clenched involuntarily as he struggled with indecision, and tried to regain a sense of perspective. If he were to choose Excalibur, then Mach Transer would win the battle – which, he knew, could cause Seren serious injury from the Battle Damage. Choosing M7 was equally risky, as even a tie involving a Number would produce a substantial explosion.

But if he chose Praesepe, then he'd be taking all the damage himself, which would leave him with barely any Life Points left. Dare he do it? Could he bring himself to sacrifice her safety purely for the sake of revenge?

_"Do it!" _the voice in his head commanded, egging him on. _"Target Excalibur, and let her take the damage. Let her feel the pain she's put you through all this time. Both she _and_ the Professor are equally at fault for your suffering, young one – she deserves everything she gets."_

_'_…_no.' _

_"Pardon?" _the voice asked.

_'I said no…' _Skyler replied, slowly coming to a decision. _'That's where you're wrong. It was never her fault. It was me who allowed the Professor to get away with everything he did. I'm at fault, not her.'_

_"But she doesn't even care about you anymore!" _the voice rumbled. _"You're a _stranger_ to her!"_

That word – stranger – seemed to echo in Skyler's head longer than it should. Nevertheless, he shut out both that word and the voice for a moment and concentrated on his move. "I choose Constellar Praesepe!" he shouted.

**Number 79: Mach Transer: ATK 1900 **→** 2400**

"Eh?" Katie said. "Why'd he do that? He-" Then it hit her. "Oh..."

"Indeed. He's protecting Esta," the Stranger finished.

Esta, meanwhile, was responding to this development. "Alright, I activate Praesepe's effect! By detaching one of its Overlay Units, I can increase M7's ATK by 1000 points!" The mechanized warrior absorbed one of its buzzing Overlay Units into its shoulder pad, and as it did, M7 was suffused by an ethereal light.

Constellar Praesepe: 2 → 1 OLU

Constellar Ptolemy M7: ATK 2700 → 3700

With that, M7 fired its sphere of light, which crossed the field insanely fast and smashed into Mach Transer, where it exploded into a maelstrom of light particles. Skyler let out a horrible cry as the explosion lifted him off his feet and slammed him against the ground a few feet away.

**Skyler LP:** 1900 → 600

"I place two cards face-down and end my turn," Esta finished, setting her cards.

"And during the End Phase, the ATK of Esta's M7, your Mach Transer, and my Excalibur all return to normal," Keane added.

Constellar Ptolemy M7: ATK 3700 → 2700

**Number 79: Mach Transer: ATK 2400 **→** 1900**

Heroic Champion – Excalibur: ATK 4000 → 2000

"At this moment, I activate the Trap Card, **Siphon Cannon**!" Keane's last remaining face-down card activated. "With this, when the attack points of a monster I control decreases, I can select and destroy one monster on the field whose ATK is equal to or less than the ATK my monster just lost. Excalibur just lost 2000 ATK, so I'll destroy the 1900 ATK Mach Transer!" The Trap let off a blast of energy which, at long last, incinerated Skyler's last remaining Number, leaving his field totally empty.

"Brilliant!" Esta grinned, starting to regain some of her dueling joy. "Big bro, we got rid of both his Numbers!"

"We sure did," Keane smiled back. He didn't feel at ease by any means, but eliminating two Numbers and wiping out almost all of Skyler's Life Points between them gave him hope. Maybe, just maybe, they had a chance at victory after all.

Across the field, Skyler raised his head.

Looking back on this moment – this one, seemingly insignificant moment – Skyler would later come to realise that if things had gone even slightly differently, then perhaps everything that followed could have been avoided. If he had just locked eyes with his daughter, if he had seen the look of joy mingled with wary apprehension in her expression, then perhaps the entire cataclysm would never have happened.

As it was, his eyes locked with Keane's instead.

And that was it. He was lost.

"My turn... draw..." he muttered, drawing his card even while he was still getting back to his feet. "Since I control no monsters, I can Special Summon this card from my hand with its ATK and DEF reduced to half. Appear, Solar Wind Jammer." A purple, spearheaded spaceship appeared, with two clusters of solar panels attached to either side like the sails on a boat.

Solar Wind Jammer: Machine-Type/LIGHT/Level 5/ATK 800/DEF 2400

Solar Wind Jammer: ATK 800 → 400/DEF 2400 → 1200

"Then I Normal Summon Satellite Transer." A second Machine-Type monster appeared alongside the first, resembling some sort of outer space docking station.

**Satellite Transer: Machine-Type/LIGHT/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0**

Keane's eyes narrowed. "What's he up to?" he muttered. "Esta, be on guard."

"Now I activate two Spell Cards..." Skyler was slowly becoming more animated as his move developed. "Monster Reborn, and Old Model to the Frontline! Both of these cards will revive any monster I want from my Graveyard, but for Old Model, the monster I choose must be a Machine-Type. Reappear, Tin Goldfish and **Satellite Geosynchron**!" Both the bizarre orange fish and the streamlined satellite took to the field, one after the other.

Tin Goldfish: Machine-Type/WATER/Level 4/ATK 800/DEF 2000

**Satellite Geosynchron: Machine-Type/LIGHT/Level 3/ATK 0/DEF 0**

"He gathered four monsters on the field at once?!" Keane gasped.

"Now, **Satellite Transer**'s effect activates! Once per turn, I can send up to two Satellite monsters from my Deck to the Graveyard, in order to increase Transer's Level by the combined Levels of the sent monsters." Skyler swiftly scanned through his Deck, before alighting on two cards. "I send two Satellite Cannons to the Graveyard. They're each Level five, so Transer gains ten Levels in total!"

**Satellite Transer: Level 1 **→** 11**

_"That's it, young one…" _the entity spoke, its voice laced with a fierce anticipation. _"Just a little more…"_

"And finally, **Satellite Geosynchron**'s effect!" Skyler went on. "Once per turn, by targeting one Satellite monster I control, this card will change the Levels of all monsters I control to equal that monster's Level. I target **Satellite Transer**, so all my monsters become Level eleven!"

**Satellite Geosynchron: Level 1 **→** 11**

Solar Wind Jammer: Level 5 → 11

Tin Goldfish: Level 4 → 11

_"Yes!" _The malicious cry reverberated around Skyler's head. _"Do it now, boy! Don't keep me waiting a moment longer! Let me taste the blood of battle!"_

"Level eleven Solar Wind Jammer, **Satellite Transer**, Tin Goldfish, and **Satellite Geosynchron**, Overlay!" Each of the four monsters was converted into an amorphous mass of energy – one blue, three yellow – which all darted up into the sky together. Above them, a colossal galaxy portal materialised, forcing the clouds to one side, and eclipsing the sky entirely. "I use these four monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The four Material Monsters chased each other up into the portal, entering it one after the other. Once the last one had disappeared from sight, the portal erupted in a maelström of wind, rain, and lightning, which seemed to spread across the entire field. Within seconds, it had plunged Keane, Esta, and all six spectators into a colossal storm.

Seconds later, a boom of thunder pierced the calamity like a knife, and Skyler's voice rode it, echoing around the park. "Descend forth, my original Number – the one who started it all! **Number 50: Sky Titan**!"

* * *

Author-made cards:

Satellite Transer  
Machine-Type/LIGHT/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0  
Once per turn: You can send up to 2 "Satellite" monsters from your Deck to the Graveyard; increase this card's Level by the combined Levels of those sent monsters, until the End Phase.

Satellite Geosynchron  
Machine-Type/LIGHT/Level 3/ATK 0/DEF 0  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle with a Level 4 or lower monster. During each of your End Phases: This card gains 1 Level. If this card battles, its Level is returned to 3, after damage calculation. Once per turn: You can target 1 face-up "Satellite" monster you control; the Levels of all face-up Machine-Type monsters you currently control become the same as that target's Level, until the End Phase.

Number 79: Mach Transer  
Machine-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 3/ATK 1900/DEF 1200  
2 Level 3 Machine-Type monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. This card can attack your opponent directly. Once per turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target 1 face-up monster you control; if that monster attacks this turn, your opponent cannot activate any Spell/Trap Cards until the end of the Damage Step.

Number 21: Marine Emperor Drakaio  
Sea Serpent-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 7/ATK 2700/DEF 1200  
2 Level 7 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn, during either player's Battle Phase: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; destroy all other monsters on the field. You must control at least 1 face-up "Umi" to activate and resolve this effect.

Siphon Cannon  
Trap Card  
When the ATK of exactly 1 face-up monster you control is decreased: Target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls with equal or less ATK than the ATK your monster lost; destroy that target

* * *

**Fun Fact #26: Well... that escalated quickly.**

**Fun Fact #27: "He gathered four monsters on the field at once?!" Yeah, Keane, this isn't anything new. It's actually Skyler's specialty.**

**Fun Fact #28: Yes, we could have used Overlay Unit Reborn rather than the two Spell Cards that Skyler used, but Overlay Unit Reborn is such a cheap and powerful card that we really didn't want to use it. Plus, we've wanted Skyler to use Old Model to the Frontline for ages.**

**Fun Fact #29: Just so everyone is clear, James is definitely _not_ a Barian Lord. While I admit that this would be an amazing plot twist of Vector-esque proportions, far beyond anything we've ever done before, I'm afraid it's not something we could fit in with the amount of plot twists and revelations we already have planned. Sorry people, but James will be remaining a good guy right up to the end, I'm afraid (not an especially useful good guy, but still... it's the thought that counts).**


	10. Chapter 10

**Skyler LP: **600

**Keane LP:** 1400

Heroic Champion – Excalibur: Warrior-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2000/DEF 2000 – 0 OLU

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Soul Resurrection [no target]

**Esta LP:** 4000

Constellar Ptolemy M7: Machine-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 6/ATK 2700/DEF 2000 – 2 OLU

Constellar Praesepe: Machine-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2400/DEF 800 – 1 OLU

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Fire Formation – Tenki, 2 set cards

"Descend forth, my original Number – the one who started it all! **Number 50: Sky Titan**!"

As the dark grey number fifty flared into life on the back of Skyler's hand, another rumble of thunder echoed above them. The heavens began to twist, drawing hitherto unseen storm clouds from across the sky, where they converged in an almighty vortex of swirling black mist, punctuated by the occasional fork of lightning. Slowly, a shape began to form seemingly from the clouds themselves. Blackened wings, as wide as the sky itself, spread from within the vortex and flapped once, sending an enormous gust of wind down to earth, the ground being churned up from the sheer force of it. People were screaming now, running in all directions, attempting to flee from the storm that had appeared out of nowhere.

And still the monster descended. Its feet – leathery, bird-like talons – came first, followed by a set of muscular avian legs. Meticulously-constructed armour plates covered the upper portion of its legs, as well as most of its lower torso. That, however, was where the bird similarities ended. From the waist up, the massive creature sported a muscular human chest, two equally toned arms with metal gauntlets affixed to the wrists, and a wizened, battle-scarred face. Its glowing green eyes stared down at the field with a thunderous expression, half hidden beneath a streamlined helmet. Lightning crackled at its fingertips, and four bright green Overlay Units flew around it, riding the wind currents.

**Number 50: Sky Titan: Thunder-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 11/ATK ?/DEF 0 – 4 OLU**

Keane and Esta each took a step back in fright, staring up at the monstrous creature above them.

"B- big brother," Esta said, her voice shaking. "What is that thing?"

"It's just another Number, Esta," Keane replied, with far more courage in his voice than he felt.

"That poor, tortured creature..." the Stranger said, a note of pity in her voice.

"Eh?" James said incredulously. "Call me crazy, but that thing doesn't exactly look tortured to me. It looks bloody vicious!"

The Stranger turned to look at him, and it was then that James realised that she hadn't been looking up at all. She hadn't even acknowledged Sky Titan's Summoning. Instead, her gaze had been fixed the entire time on Skyler, the deranged hunter reflected twice in her sunglasses.

"I wasn't talking about the Number..." she replied quietly.

As James stared at her in confusion, Katie leant over to Matt and whispered in his ear, "What's the matter? You look worried."

"Anyone would be worried staring that thing down," Matt replied tersely.

"No, I mean, more worried than any of us," Katie corrected herself. "More worried that you usually look. Why? Surely this thing can't be much worse than Alpha Centauri was."

"I'm worried about its ATK..." Matt said. "An undetermined ATK stat is way more dangerous than a fixed one. And since this monster is a Rank eleven monster that required four other monsters to Summon it, you can bet it won't be a low ATK."

Before Katie could reply, Skyler's voice rang out, clear as day despite the raging storm. "Sky Titan's attack points are determined by the number of Overlay Units attached to it, multiplied by 1000. It currently has four, therefore its ATK is 4000!"

**Number 50: Sky Titan: ATK ? **→** 4000**

"An ATK of 4000..." Keane muttered, feeling his fear return once again.

"You were right," Katie whispered to Matt. "That's a lot of ATK."

"No... something's still missing," Matt replied worriedly. "4000 ATK is still very low for a monster with such steep Summoning requirements. There's got to me more to its effect than that."

"I activate Sky Titan's effect!" Skyler went on. "Once per turn, I can declare the name of any card, then, if my opponent has any copies of the declared card in their Deck, they add all copies of it from their Deck to their hand."

Esta looked confused, and turned to Keane to clarify something. "Keane, why would he do that? Doesn't that help us more than it helps him?"

"It... he... I don't know Esta," Keane replied, utterly bewildered. "But be ready; there must be a reason for it. He wouldn't just give us free cards for no reason."

"Maybe it's part of a Deck-Out strategy?" she suggested. "I faced one of those a few days ago."

"Maybe..." Keane muttered.

Skyler smirked knowingly. "With this card's effect, I choose the card **Constellar Lyra**. Now come, both of you, add all copies of that card to your hand."

"Ok..." With the ever-present feeling of being led into a trap, Keane searcher through his Deck and extracted the three copies of **Constellar Lyra** he kept in his Deck, and showed them to Skyler to clarify. Esta did the same next to him, but she had already used one. Thus, it was only two cards she added to her hand.

"Just as I suspected," Skyler said, his malicious grin widening as he gazed at Keane. "I knew she would be running at least one more copy of that card, but I also suspected that since you're a Normal Monster-user, you might be running a few of them as well."

"Get to the point," Keane snapped. "We all know that you wouldn't just let us grab free cards unless you gained something from it."

"And how correct you are!" Skyler raised both his arms, and above him, the Number's eyes flared green. "Sky Titan's other effect activates! Once per turn, when cards are added from any players' Decks to their hands by a method other than drawing, Sky Titan will steal all of those cards away, and attach them to himself as Overlay Units!"

Sky Titan tilted its head to look down at the field, its glowing eyes fixed on the cards its enemies had just searched for. Then, two separate bolts of electricity shot from its eyes and struck the cards with pinpoint precision. Keane and Esta gasped simultaneously as the cards in their hands were coated by a crackling green light. Without warning, the cards were suddenly yanked from their hands and raced up into the air, where they changed from cards into green orbs of light, and settled into orbit around the colossal Number.

**Number 50: Sky Titan: 4 **→** 9 OLU**

"And since Sky Titan just acquired five new Overlay Units, its attack points increase by 5000!"

**Number 50: Sky Titan: ATK 4000 **→** 9000**

Now Keane and Esta's expressions were identical, each one mirroring the other's total horror. Both were speechless. Only now was it beginning to dawn on them just what the Deltas had warned them about – this man was indeed lethal.

"You're kidding me!" James cried. "That's horrible!"

"I know. They can't search anything now without it being absorbed into that thing," Leah said, her fists clenched. "And even if they don't search anything, Skyler can just force them too when his turn comes around."

"And that thing gets stronger and stronger for each Overlay Unit it absorbs," Dan added. "It's unbelievable... this thing's more powerful than Alpha Centauri."

"Battle!" Skyler declared. "Go, Sky Titan! Attack the boy's Heroic Champion – Excalibur!" The god-like Number raised its arm and pointed a single finger at Keane, with all the authority of fate itself, and its hand began crackling as the electrical energy began to build up. The winds were picking up too, the intense gale ripping tiles off of nearby roofs and shattering windows.

Keane was defenceless. His monster was stuck in Attack Position, his face-down cards had all been used up, and he didn't have enough Life Points to weather this attack. Hell, even if he had gone this entire duel without losing a single Life Point, this attack would still defeat him. There was nothing more he could do.

"I activate the Trap Card, Lumenize!"

Keane gasped in surprise at the unexpected shout. Turning, he was just in time to see Esta, her arm outstretched, her face wild and determined... and her face-down card active. "Esta!" he cried. "What're you doing? Don't get involved!"

"With this card," Esta shouted, ignoring him for the moment, "I can negate the attack of an opponent's monster, and then increase the ATK of a LIGHT monster I control by the ATK of the attacking monster." Sure enough, the Trap Card let of a piercing flare of light, and Sky Titan recoiled from it, clutching its hand in pain, and glaring at Esta with an expression of pure hatred. The same light then suffused M7 with a faint glow as its ATK skyrocketed.

Constellar Ptolemy M7: ATK 2700 → 11700

As the ferocious winds died down, Skyler turned his glare on Esta. _"You… how dare you…" _he growled, with a voice that was barely his.

"Esta..." Keane breathed. "You saved me."

The young girl turned to face him, a loving smile lighting up her expression. "Of course I did," she said. "You needed help, and I helped you. That's what siblings do for each other, right?"

"The bond of a family – even a pseudo family – is never one sided," the Stranger muttered to herself, too quietly for even the Deltas to hear. "Sometimes, even the protector needs protecting."

Keane returned her smile, but inside he was feeling conflicted. Yes he was glad to be safe, and yes he was relieved that Esta was holding up ok against Skyler's gargantuan Number. But at the same time, he was ashamed and mortified at how he'd needed protection from the one he was supposed to be protecting. Cursing his own weakness, and secretly vowing to do better next time, he straightened up and waited for Skyler to finish his move.

"I place one card face-down and end my turn," the deranged man concluded, setting the last card in his hand face-down.

"My turn, draw!" Keane drew his card. "I switch Heroic Champion – Excalibur to Defence Position. Then I'll set one monster in Defence Position, plus one other card face-down. Turn end." Keane's warrior knelt down, and the two set cards appeared beside and behind it. _'All I can do is play defensive right now,' _he thought. _'Esta's M7 is the only monster that has a chance of taking down Sky Titan. I have to trust that she'll do it.'_

"My turn, draw!" Esta began.

"Stop right there!" Skyler declared. "During your Standby Phase, I activate the Continuous Trap, **Xyz Hierarchy**!" His face-down card activated. "While this card is face-up on the field, Xyz Monsters with lower Ranks cannot target Xyz Monsters with higher Ranks with their effects, or for attacks."

"Oh come on!" James shouted. "Now they can't even use M7 to attack it _or_ bounce it with its effect! That just isn't fair!"

"It's perfectly fair!" Skyler shouted back savagely. "They've tested the limits of my patience for the last time, now I'm bringing every ounce of my power against them!" His glare flicked from Esta to Keane and back again. "Now you get to overcome my full strength, or die trying!"

"What's happened to him?" a shocked Leah asked. "Wasn't he protecting Esta just a minute ago? He'll kill her if he attacks her with that thing."

"He's gone out of control," the Stranger told her.

"How?"

"He's allowed his Number to have too much sway over his thoughts, and given it too much control and autonomy." The woman looked over at Skyler almost sadly. "He's lost all sense of perspective or restraint, and is just being driven by rage. Nothing can stop him now."

"Esta, put your monsters in Defence Position!" Keane called desperately. "You can't fight this thing. We have to defend ourselves until we can come up with another strategy."

Esta nodded, seeing the sense in this. "Alright, I switch Praesepe and M7 to Defence Position. Then, I activate M7's effect!" As both her monsters settled down, M7 began to glow again. "By detaching one of its Overlay Units, I can return one monster from the field or Graveyard to its owner's hand." The mechanical dragon snapped up another of its yellow orbs.

Constellar Ptolemy M7: 2 → 1 OLU

"I'll add Constellar Siat to my hand." She took the card from her Graveyard and added it to her hand. "That ends my turn."

Constellar Ptolemy M7: ATK 11700 → 2700

"Then it's my turn again!" Skyler grinned. "I draw. First, I activate Sky Titan's effect!" He made a cursory glance at Esta's monsters. "From what I know of Constellar Decks, I assume you're running three copies of Constellar Kaus. So that's what I'll declare!"

Esta groaned quietly as she added all copies of her best Constellar monster to her hand. _'This is bad!' _Keane thought, watching her.

"And now, due to Sky Titan's other effect, all of those cards will be absorbed!" Esta yelped in fright and quickly let go of the cards as green arcs of lightning struck them once again, suspending them in the air in front of her, before pulling them up and into orbit around Sky Titan.

**Number 50: Sky Titan: 9 **→** 12 OLU**

**Number 50: Sky Titan: ATK 9000 **→** 12000**

"An ATK of 12000..." James said shakily. "Th- this is insane..."

"Battle!" Skyler declared, his face twisted in rage, his fierce gaze fixed on Esta and her field. "I will erase everything that causes me pain! _I'll destroy it all!_ **Number 50: Sky Titan**, attack Constellar Ptolemy M7!"

"No!" Keane cried.

But it was too late. Sky Titan had already been preparing its attack while Skyler was talking, and now it unleashed it. A great arc of lightning lanced from the Number's pointing finger and struck M7 right in the centre of its neck, prompting an agonised screech from the dragon. The gale-force winds followed swiftly after, tearing at the writing dragon like claws, slowly ripping away parts of its body. Esta screamed in terror as the winds struck her, nearly being knocked off her feet by the sheer force of them. Finally, when it could bear no more, the dragon exploded violently. The fireball, spurred on by the gale, blasted Esta backwards, where she landed in a heap on the ground, moaning in pain.

* * *

Author-made cards:

Constellar Lyra  
Spellcaster-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1900/DEF 1000  
_A warrior descended from the stars, she answers prayers with the swing of her blade._

Number 50: Sky Titan  
Thunder-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 11/ATK ?/DEF 0  
4 Level 11 monsters  
Must be Xyz Summoned, and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. The original ATK of this card is equal to the number of Overlay Units attached to it x 1000. Once per turn: You can declare 1 card name; your opponent adds all copies of the declared card from their Deck to their hand. During either player's turn, when a card(s) is added from a player's Deck to their hand (except by drawing): You can attach all of those cards to this card as Overlay Units. If this face-up card would be destroyed, you can detach all Overlay Units (min. 1) from this card instead.

Xyz Hierarchy  
Continuous Trap Card  
Face-up Xyz Monsters cannot target face-up Xyz Monsters with a higher Rank for attacks, or with their effects. Destroy this card during your 3rd End Phase after activation.

* * *

**Fun Fact #30: Skyler doesn't do anything by half measures. Especially not mental breakdowns.**

**Fun Fact #31: As Superjad pointed out, it's actually a good thing that Skyler discovered Keane and Esta now, rather than during the second part of the Chaos story. Finding his 'daughter' chained to a pillar, looking like she's had seven shades of naughty word knocked out of her, and guarded by a seemingly-mad kidnapper with a Number... yeah, that may not have ended well.**

**Fun Fact #32: "Oh, the Barians are invading? You guys have fun with that, I'm going to the moon! Kthxbai" - Kaito**


	11. Chapter 11

**Skyler LP:** 600

**Number 50: Sky Titan: Thunder-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 11/ATK 12000/DEF 0 – 12 OLU**

Spell & Trap Card Zone: **Xyz Hierarchy**

**Keane LP:** 1400

Heroic Champion – Excalibur: Warrior-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2000/DEF 2000 – 0 OLU

1 set monster

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Soul Resurrection [no target], 1 set card

**Esta LP: **4000

Constellar Praesepe: Machine-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2400/DEF 800 – 1 OLU

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Fire Formation – Tenki, 1 set card

With a cry of utter horror, Keane abandoned his field and rushed to his sister's side, ignoring the winds which, while dying down, still tore at him like claws, seeking to force him to the ground. He threw himself down by Esta's side and bundled the girl into his arms.

"Esta, are you ok?" he asked softly yet urgently. "Hey Esta? Come on, speak to me..."

With a small groan, Esta opened her eyes and stared up into Keane's concerned face. "Big brother..." she muttered. "That monster... it's really strong."

"I know." With an effort, Keane pulled the girl to her feet, before rounding on Skyler furiously. "Why did you do that?" he shouted. "If she's really your daughter, why would you attack her?!"

"I owe you no explanation, you piece of scum!" Skyler snapped. "This is a duel, and everyone is my enemy here. But hey, if you're so eager to take the metaphorical bullet for your _sister_, then I won't stop you!"

Keane growled under his breath, before replying, "Then let her out of the duel! If your quarrel is with me, why let her get caught in the crossfire?"

_"No-one is leaving this duel!" _Out of nowhere, Skyler's eyes flared red, and his voice took on a hoarser note that barely sounded human. _"There will be no easy way out. This duel will continue to the end… and you will taste defeat by my hand."_ As quickly as it had appeared, the light in Skyler's eyes faded, and he gave a twisted sneer. "Well, you heard the Number. Looks like my hands are tied," he smirked. "I place one card face-down. Turn end."

**Xyz Hierarchy: Turn 0 **→** 1**

"He's gone mad..." Keane muttered worriedly, before turning back to Esta. "Are you ok now? Do you think you can carry on?"

Esta, who was now standing without his support, smiled and nodded. "Yeah... sorry, it was just a bit of a shock. I'm fine, really."

Unconvinced, Keane slowly retreated to his own side of the field, keeping a watchful eye on her. It wasn't so much those attacks that worried him, since she wasn't taking any Battle Damage from them – plus he was pretty confident that he could goad Skyler into attacking him rather than her if need be. What worried him was what would happen if she started attacking back. She didn't stand a chance of succeeding, and if she aggravated him...

Keane forced the thought out of his head. Now was absolutely _not_ the time to start worrying. Now was the time to start setting up some defence while he worked out how to get around that **Xyz Hierarchy** card.

"My turn, draw!" Unfortunately, a glance at his hand showed him that it was easier said than done. As was often the case when he dueled, his hand was clogged with Normal Monsters which, while he could pull several Xyz Summons with, didn't help him with **Xyz Hierarchy** in play. His face-down card was equally useless – it was Justi-Break, a card that could destroy Sky Titan, but only if Keane Summon a Normal Monster face-up, which he just wasn't willing to risk. "Alright, I place one monster in face-down Defence Position and end my turn."

"That's right, keep cowering..." Skyler sneered. "You can't hide from me forever."

"I don't need to hide forever," Keane muttered, glancing at Skyler's face-up Trap Card. "Just long enough..."

"Hmm?" Skyler traced his gaze to see what he was looking at, and as he did so, a look of realisation passed across his face. "Ah," he smirked. "**Xyz Hierarchy**. You're desperately trying to bide time while you wait for its effect to wear off, or until you find a way to destroy it." He looked back at Keane, pure malice in his eyes. "Don't bother. I'll have you beaten long before three turns have passed."

"You can try," Keane retorted. "Esta, you're up."

"Gotcha! My turn, I draw!" Esta declared. "I just set one monster in Defence Position and end my turn!" Her face-down monster appeared beside Praesepe. "You're not getting to our Life Points that easily!"

_'Good,' _Keane thought to himself. _'As long as we both stay on the defensive, we should be able to just wait out the three turns. And once we're free from that effect, either me or Esta can blow that card away with an Xyz Monster.'_

"My turn, draw!" Skyler took a single glance at his drawn card, then played it straight off. "I activate the Spell Card, Card of Alteration! With this, I can draw two cards. However, during the End Phase, I have to send one card from my hand to the Graveyard, or else take 3000 points of damage."

"Isn't that dangerous?" James said quietly. "He has no other cards in his hand, and only 600 Life Points left. Sure he'll draw two cards, but if he actually uses both of them, he'll lose."

"He doesn't care anymore," the Stranger muttered. "He's looking to end this duel on this turn if he can, never mind the consequences."

"The problem is, he's lost sight of this duel's purpose," Matt said, causing each of the spectators to look at him. "No matter the outcome, Skyler will still lose."

"Why do you say that?" Katie asked.

"Keep watching," Matt replied.

As they talked, Skyler had placed his fingers on his Deck ready to draw, still glaring intently at his opponents. The Stranger had been right, of course. He was seeking to end the duel right here and now, on this turn, before his **Xyz Hierarchy** card ran out. Thus he drew his cards, the thought of failure not even entering his mind as he viewed his two draws.

Berserk Mode and **Cosmic Corruptor LV2**.

His eyes widened in glee.

"I activate Sky Titan's effect, choosing Constellar Sombre" he declared, pointing a shaking finger at Esta. "So hand over every copy you have!" This time his Number didn't even wait for the girl to search the cards herself. Instead. It shot a crackling beam of electricity straight at Esta's Deck, eliciting a yelp of fright from the young duelist. Moments later it dissipated, just as three green orbs of light shot out of her Deck and up into the sky, settling into orbit around the gargantuan Number.

**Number 50: Sky Titan: 12 **→** 15 OLU**

**Number 50: Sky Titan: ATK 12000 **→** 15000**

"It just keeps getting stronger!" James whimpered, clinging onto Katie's arm in fear.

"And now, the last card!" Skyler shouted, taking a card from his hand to play. "I activate the Spell Card, Berserk Mode!"

"No..." Keane breathed in horror. "Not that..."

"With this card," Skyler was saying, "at the start of this turn's Battle Phase, every face-up monster on the field will be changed into Attack Position. Additionally, I must attack with every monster I control, whether I want to or not." A wicked grin stretched across his face. "Which is fortunate, because I do want to... oh, how I do..."

Now Keane was panicking. He still had Heroic Champion – Excalibur on the field with no Spell or Trap support, and if it got changed to Attack Position and was attacked, he'd not only lose, he'd most likely be killed. Desperately, Keane glanced at Esta, who, he now realised, was in no better situation than he was. She still had a face-up Constellar Praesepe, which if attacked, would wipe her out. And since her face-down card had yet to be activated, he had no reason to believe that it was any better than his card.

"Battle!"

What could he do? They were trapped. Even now, Excalibur and Praesepe were standing up, stretching themselves from their time in Defence Position, and readying themselves for a fight they couldn't possibly win. Esta just watched, seemingly paralysed with fear. What could he do? Esta had barely survived a major attack from Katie's Number; surely this would end her.

And then he had it.

"Are you ready for this little girl?! **Number 50: Sky Titan**, attack her Constell-"

A bark of laughter echoed across the field. Stopping mid-sentence, Skyler turned to see Keane doubled over, clutching his sides, and laughing his head off. The horrified spectators fell silent and stared at Keane in confusion, as did Esta.

"What's so funny, kid?" Skyler growled.

"You... just... are you serious?!" Keane gasped between bouts of laughter. "Are you for real? Are you seriously that scared of me?"

Skyler raised an eyebrow. "Scared?"

"You heard me," Keane replied, finally getting his laughter under control. "I had you pegged as a jerk and a madman ever since this duel started, but I never took you for a coward. Up to now, you seemed like a very brave duelist, one who wasn't scared to fight to get what he wanted. Boy, was I mistaken."

"What are you insinuating?"

"You get the perfect opportunity to finish me off, to finally wipe out my Life Points and get revenge. That's why you started this duel, wasn't it? To get revenge on me for standing between you and your _daughter_?" He put extra emphasis on the last word, to make sure Skyler knew that he still didn't believe that for a second. "You could've done it right now. But instead, you're so petrified of me and my face-down card, plus my combination with your *COUGH* _daughter_, that you decide to take her out while you desperately think of a sneakier way to defeat me."

A vein pulsed on the side of Skyler's neck. "You little..."

"What on earth does he think he's doing?" Leah whispered.

The Stranger put a hand on her shoulder. "The right thing..." she muttered.

"You're a joke!" Now Keane was giggling again. "And to think, I actually viewed you as a threat for a while. You're a failure, pal! A yellow-bellied failure!"

"I dare you to say another word about me being a coward..." Skyler growled threateningly. "See what happens."

"Good, because I had just one more thing I wanted to say on the matter," Keane smirked. "I don't know who your daughter really is – because it's not Esta, I guarantee that – so I don't know what she's like. But I can tell you, if she could see you now... she'd call you a coward too."

That did it.

"You little brat!" Skyler roared. "You utter piece of scum! How dare you!" His eyes flared red once again, and a shadowy aura billowed around him like smoke. The winds were picking up too, blowing Esta's hair into her face, while her eyes flicked back and forth between Skyler and Keane, her expression shifting between absolute fear when she glanced at Skyler, and concern when her gaze shifted to Keane.

Keane just watched. The Number didn't frighten him anymore, nor did the prospect of losing. Even the temper of the deranged Number Hunter did nothing to dampen his sense of accomplishment. His words had had the exact effect he wanted. Now it was just a matter of waiting to see if they'd been effective enough.

"You want to taste the cold sting of death so badly?" Skyler snarled, his voice now indistinguishable from that of his Number. "Very well. I'll burn the proof of my strength into your mind and your soul, and let you serve as a half-living symbol of my true power, and of the consequences for crossing me and my family!" He looked up at the seething grey sky, his rage never abating for a second. "Hear this well, Usur!" he cried to the heavens. "Mark my words; what I do to this boy, I shall also do to you tenfold!"

"Skyler, stop this!" Leah yelled. "This has gone too far! You need to stop this before you kill someone!"

"Too far?!" Skyler repeated. "This hasn't gone far enough! I want this little worm to suffer, to experience just a fraction of the pain I've had to endure for the past year! Maybe then he'll understand a little of who I am... a man forged from pain and loss and sorrow! _Maybe then he'll understand_!"

"Please, don't hurt my brother!" Esta cried desperately, a single tear pricking her eyelid. "Leave him alone! Attack me instead, please!"

"Don't get involved, Esta," Keane said warningly.

"Agreed..." Now Skyler was glaring back at Keane, an almost inhuman level of bloodlust in his eyes. "Your time will come little girl. But for now, let your _brother_ reap what he's sown!"

"Come on then!" Keane shouted. "Stop talking about it and actually do it, you coward!"

"Remember those words, little girl!" Skyler snapped. "They will be the boy's last!"

"Please... stop!" Esta sobbed.

"Do it, Sky Titan! Attack Heroic Champion – Excalibur!" Slowly, torturously, Sky Titan raised a single finger and pointed it at the armoured warrior. Seconds later, a huge bolt of lightning shot from the Number's outstretched finger and completely consumed both Keane and his monster. Excalibur let out a cry of pain as the lightning coursed through its body, and the ferocious gale ripped away at its armour. It only took a few seconds for the battering to become too much for the warrior to bear, whereupon it exploded, finding release in destruction.

Keane had no such reprieve. The lightning bolt sent searing waves of pain through his body, and the wind tore at him like hungry wolves. He opened his mouth to scream, and the wind whipped the sound away. He could actually feel the hairs burning on the backs of his hands as the Number ravaged him.

And yet, despite the agony, he didn't feel particularly bad. Nor did he regret his decision for even a second. _'Thank goodness,' _he found himself thinking. _'I did it right this time. I couldn't save her against Katie's Number, but this time… this time I protected her. This time I didn't fail her. I did it… I actually did it…' _A small smile curled his lips as he happily reflected on his accomplishment. Then he closed his eyes, and allowed himself to slip into the welcome embrace of darkness.

**Keane LP:** 1400 → 0

* * *

Author-made cards:

Number 50: Sky Titan  
Thunder-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 11/ATK ?/DEF 0  
4 Level 11 monsters  
Must be Xyz Summoned, and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. The original ATK of this card is equal to the number of Overlay Units attached to it x 1000. Once per turn: You can declare 1 card name; your opponent adds all copies of the declared card from their Deck to their hand. During either player's turn, when a card(s) is added from a player's Deck to their hand (except by drawing): You can attach all of those cards to this card as Overlay Units. If this face-up card would be destroyed, you can detach all Overlay Units (min. 1) from this card instead.

Xyz Hierarchy  
Continuous Trap Card  
Face-up Xyz Monsters cannot target face-up Xyz Monsters with a higher Rank for attacks, or with their effects. Destroy this card during your 3rd End Phase after activation.

* * *

**Fun Fact #33: Oh right, did I mention that Skyler is lethal?**

**Fun Fact #34: Keane isn't related to Esta. He hasn't known her for more than a year. Yet despite this, he put his life in danger to protect this girl from certain death by deliberately goading the deranged man trying to attack her, knowing full well that he would almost certainly be killed as a result. Take a good look, Skyler. _That_ is a family bond.**

**Fun Fact #35: I spy with my little NEW SPIRIT MONSTER!**


End file.
